The Unique Alliance: The Kindness of Strangers
by H-san
Summary: An alliance between two races sets off a story unlike any other. A story which will decide the fate of Earth and the universe. PART ONE COMPLETE!
1. Prologue: The Visitor

**The Unique Alliance**

**Disclaimer: **Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama, TOEI Animation, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA INC., FUNinmation.

**Disclaimer 2: **Jinn, Gochi, The Unique Alliance © Eileen Setiawan, H-san, Hina-chan (i.e. the author of the story)

**Disclaimer 3: **This story is only for recreational purposes. I do not intend to sell this to anyone/anything.

**PART 1: The Kindness of Strangers**

* * *

"… **No one told me I was going to find you,**

**Unexpected what you did to my heart.**

**When I lost hope you were there to remind me,**

**This is the start… "**

**Richard Marx and Donna Lewis – At the Beginning**

* * *

**PROLOGUE – The Visitor**

The space pod plummeted towards the blue planet called Earth. Within its contents lay a man, bloodied and broken, owning a past that was worth forgetting…

A little boy overlooked the barren wasteland of plains. He appeared to be at least seven years old with short, lengthy black hair, its spikes seemed to drape and frame his face. Blood trickled down the corner of his mouth and his armour cracked in pieces whilst the jumpsuit underneath was torn. Bodies were scattered around blood-ridden ground and looked as if they covered what was left of the dust bowl. Along with the bodies… among their fresh bloodstained corpses… laid his father, beaten and broken in the dust field.

Sweat trickled down the boy's face as he walked through the land of merciless sorrow. When he finally reached his father's body, he stared upon his corpse lying in front of his eyes. He blinked back his tears, showing only his senseless pride.

"Otou-san?" he whispered. The little boy kneeled down and picked up his father's lifeless carcass in his arms.

"Wake up," he softly whispered. He gently shook the body with no sign of any revival.

"Wake up," he repeated. "Wake Up!" A mix of emotions surged through him as he thought of the inevitable. Sadness, shock and an undeniable rage flooded through his mind, body, and his soul. The little boy clenched his fists as a power unlike any other consumed his body. The more the rage built inside of his mind, the more power flowed through his body.

"… why?…" asked the boy softly through clenched teeth. "… why did they?…" Suddenly, the boy yelled and the power from deep within him exploded as a yellow aura enveloped him. For miles across the empty, motionless world, his cry spread over the loss of his one and only kin; his father.

The man lying inside the pod leisurely opened his eyes, dredging up that single moment in time.

"Otou-san… " he murmured before he passed out from exhaustion.

* * *

On Earth, Gochi was sitting on her window ledge in her bedroom reading a book. The curtains of the window and her hair danced with the wind blowing through the windowsill. She took a glance at her surrounding scenery. It was all hustle and bustle with everybody on the move. Though, in the distance, in spite of everything happening in the city, she was able to see her original home, the mountains. The greenery of the treetops and the bright sky always soothed her in desperate times. Nonetheless, the natural landscape still reminded her of her dreadful past. It had been four years since the terrible battle with Cell. Four years after her brother had surpassed to Super Saiya-jin Level 2… she felt powerless as she watched her brother surpass her physically, mentally and spiritually. The 16-year-old Saiya-jin sighed as she closed the book and flung back her long black hair from the gentle breeze, placing the book in her inner jacket pocket. She continuously gazed upon the mountains, being thankful they were still there and hopeful that they would remain for many years to come. She took a glimpse at her alarm clock. It read 11: 45 AM.

'_Wow, never thought that it'd be this boring at home,'_ she thought as she looked out the window again. Well… her home anyway. After her father died at the hands of Cell, Gochi felt as if she was useless. She knew there was probably nothing she could do… but her brother had done so much. He had defeated Cell… surpassed Level One… liberated Earth from the dangerous threat. What had she done? All she did was stand there… watching as her brother struggled, and won, the bout with the green menace. After the battle, Gochi decided she needed to find herself. Her mother had suffered some… difficulties in her moving out, but Gochi assured she would visit every week in a while. She also told her mother of the education promises they offered there, including the high school so-called Orange Star High. After coaxing her mother into the offer, Chichi had jumped at the mention of a 'proper education'. By the following week, the apartment block was prepped to be moved into. She was living independently at the age of fifteen. Her unit was in the nearby town of Satan City and it did belong to Bulma, so that pleased her mother… even though the landlady could be a bit…

Images of her landlady filled her head and a great sweat drop slowly ran down Gochi's head. Luckily Bulma was doing much of the paying for her; otherwise she would probably be in deep trouble with the woman. Sighing Gochi looked up at the sky, a confused expression crossing her face at the strange swirl of clouds forming in one part of the azure heavens. Suddenly, from the haze, she spotted a glint in the sky. Her eyes strained to see, narrowing in a squint as she hoped to get a clearer view. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It became clearer to her of what it truly was. Her eyes widened with fear and shock. She quickly dashed out of her bedroom window, flying off towards the city.

* * *

Gohan lay in a huge field, soaking in the sun's rays. He loved Sundays; they were always relaxing. He could always take longer breaks than usual, especially from studying and 'hitting the books'. He looked towards the blue sky with small groups of clouds slowly moving by the breeze. He could stay like this forever, watching the tranquillity and peacefulness of his home fly by his eyes.

"I wonder how otou-san's doing?" he spoke to himself. Suddenly he felt two powers, one getting further away and the other rushing behind him. He sat up in alert and looked around the meadow. He snapped his head to the left and the right trying to locate its source. He turned around and noticed Goten running at full speed towards him.

"Onii-chan! Trunks-kun just called! He said something landed on the outside of Satan City!" yelled Goten when he reached Gohan.

"What? Are you sure?" asked Gohan standing up.

Goten nodded and pointed at Satan City.

"See? Smoke!"

Gohan snapped his head towards the direction Goten pointed to. There he saw a faint trail of smoke. He didn't like the looks of this. He'd seen it before. Gohan turned to his little brother with a stern face.

"Goten, get back home," he ordered.

"But…" started Goten.

"Now! It's too dangerous to be out!"

"… Okay… " Goten answered, trudging back towards the direction of their house.

Gohan turned his head towards the city as he rose off of the ground; no doubt the other power had been Gochi. He powered up and flew towards the city's crash site.

* * *

Gochi arrived at the 'crash' scene along with hundreds of other people of Satan City. A crater blocked a busy road and drivers and passengers already exited their vehicles to inspect the 'alien spacecraft' found within the crater's centre. People whispered and started to gossip, trying to guess what would be found inside its contents and what terror could be found within.

"First Cell, now this?" asked a man inspecting the crater.

"Are you kidding? Don't you remember what happened to the Eastern Capital? It totally disappeared and I've heard it was events like this that it happened!" yelled another in panic.

_You're telling me,_ thought Gochi inspecting the spacecraft inside the crater.

"I know! Satan will take care of this!" hollered a woman.

"Yes! Yes! Satan!" quickly agreed a man.

Soon, everyone within the crash site started to yell out Mr. Satan's name in a chant of some sort. Gochi, ignoring the calling, continued to inspect the craft. She raised her hands to her chin and started to wander off in thought until a tap on her shoulder snapped her out of it. She turned around to discover a familiar face.

"Gohan-san!" she yelled in surprise, gazing upon her elder brother.

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Gohan, staring worriedly at his younger sibling. "The least you could've done was telling me before rushing off to inspect this. What happened anyway?"

"Saiya-jin space pod," said Gochi flatly, once again inspecting the pod, along with Gohan.

"Saiya-jin?" Gohan took a glimpse of the crash site, also discovering the spacecraft. "But I thought only four full-blooded ones existed," he assumed.

"Actually it used to be four, then it went to two, then three, then two, then three again, then back to two, then three, then two yet again, then to one and it's stayed at one," Gochi recalled.

There was a slight pause between the two siblings after Gochi's little statement.

"What?" Gohan finally asked, confused.

"Otou-san, Vegeta-san, 'Uncle' Raditz, Nappa, Turles and Brolli; or don't you remember?" Gochi asked.

"Oh… right."

Suddenly, a loud swishing sound was heard from within the crater. People stopped chanting for Mr. Satan's help and paid their attention towards the cavity in the road. The door of the craft slowly opened creating a mechanical sound. Gohan and Gochi gazed down preparing for the expected. Gasps rose from the crowd of people and the two siblings crouched down slightly getting ready. Everyone else from the crowd moved away slowly from the crater.

* * *

The man in the space pod forced his eyes open as he saw the first glimpses of light ad nauseam. He knew he had landed and he could hear people from above.

_When did I pass out?_ he thought. _I gotta get out of here._ He forced himself out of his seating position and grasped the side of his pod with the only good arm he had left.

* * *

The two Son siblings stepped back slightly when a hand grasped the side of the pod. They saw a man getting himself up from inside the pod wearing torn Saiya-jin armour and bloodied from head to foot. Gochi and Gohan relaxed; this guy couldn't even defend himself even if he tried.

"My Kami, look at him," said Gohan.

Gochi nodded. Both of them stared on at the Saiya-jin trying to exit the pod. His breath came in ragged gasps and his right arm hung limply at his side. He stood up with little strength he had left, gasping from the pain as his tail swayed slightly from left to right. He looked up at the crowd in the sunlight and everyone ran back even further from fear. All of a sudden he spotted both Gohan and Gochi. Noticing they stood their ground he slowly floated up, despite the pain, and landed softly in front of the two Son siblings.

"Where am I?" he asked to Gohan.

Gochi gazed within his eyes and saw the pain he felt.

"Earth," bluntly replied Gohan. "Why are you here?"

"Earth?" repeated the Saiya-jin. "I went that far?"

Gohan and Gochi stared confusedly at the Saiya-jin. At that moment, an expression of pain crossed his face and he doubled over. Gochi gasped and Gohan took a step back out of surprise. A moment later, the Saiya-jin was gasping in shock and pain. Gochi and Gohan looked at each other with remorse. Gochi kneeled down towards the ground and placed a hand on the Saiya-jin's back.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

The Saiya-jin kept his gaze at the floor.

"Fine," he growled.

"Are you sure? We can help you," said Gohan kneeling in front of the Saiya-jin.

The Saiya-jin gazed at him, his eyes felt like they were scanning his soul.

"I said I'm fine," he said flatly.

He felt the hand on his back and looked up, his gaze reaching the ornament around Gochi's neck as it swung back and forth, glinting ever-so-slightly in the rays of light which penetrated the crowd's canopy. Gohan turned his head and looked around the scene. Out of the blue, he heard sirens heading in their direction with people screaming praise for the 'World Champion'. Suddenly, another jolt of pain flared up the Saiya-jin's spine and he screamed in agony before everything around him went black.

* * *

Sirens flashed all around him as his mother carried him in her arms and held him close.

"Jinn, we'll get out of here, you don't have to worry," said his mother. She ran towards the space dock within the gigantic ship, avoiding detection from its inhabitants.

Jinn was only five years old and was confused about what was happening.

_Weren't the Quillis people associates with the Saiya-jins? _Jinn thought. _This doesn't make any sense._

"Mama, where are we going?" he asked.

"We're going on a little trip to visit your otou-san," she calmly answered.

"What about the others?"

"They'll be fine Jinn, they'll be fine."

Jinn looked up at his mother, still puzzled about the situation. When Jinn and his mother reached the space dock, she ran towards the nearest port control panel she could find.

"C'mon Jinn, we're going to visit your otou-san," she repeated, smiling at her son.

"Not if I can help it," said a voice behind them.

The woman turned around to see Kisei, the captain of the Quillis army and heir to the Quillis throne.

"Kisei… " Jinn's mother's voice trembled slightly.

"Koumi, you and your son have been giving everyone a run around you know," said Kisei, smirking.

Koumi swallowed hard. She never had a feeling like this before. Was it fear? Was this what everything that crossed her path had felt before she blasted them to oblivion?

"What do you want?" asked Koumi.

"Your son… that's what," replied Kisei, gazing at the little boy in her arms.

Jinn buried his face in his mother's shoulder.

"Leave him alone! He's only five!"

"The younger, the better: he's unlike any other Saiya-jin child on this ship. He could become a great warrior someday."

"Just like all those other Saiya-jin children? I've seen what you do with our race. It's disgusting," said Koumi, taking a step back.

Kisei walked forward, arms out stretched.

"Koumi, Koumi, Koumi," tsked Kisei. "I can't believe you. I'd be proud if it was my son to be one of the hand-chosen."

Koumi's eyes narrowed as she sent Kisei a bone-chilling death stare. Her free arm moved back to the control panel slowly as she quietly pressed the docking button and activated the co-ordinates.

"Yeah, well you'd be really sad to hear that I'm not taking your offer, you sadistic bastard!"

Kisei's eyes narrowed this time and his fists clenched in anger.

"Bad choice woman!" hissed Kisei. He lunged at Koumi who moved out of the way just in time.

She ran off with her son as Kisei smashed into the control panel previously behind Koumi. As he pulled himself from the ground, he noticed a light flashing on the control panel.

"What?" he murmured. He suddenly realized what had happened during his confrontation and snapped his head in the direction where Koumi ran off.

"That bitch," he hissed as he drew out his sword.

Meanwhile, Koumi ran towards the docking port and, sure enough, a ship was waiting to be loaded.

"Okay, Kisei, try to get us now," said Koumi smirking.

Jinn stared at his mother with oblivious looks. He was still bewildered but little by little, he was beginning to realize the condition he and his mother got themselves into. When Koumi reached the ship, she activated the door.

"Jinn, are you ready to go now?"

Jinn looked into the dark ship and then at his mother. He nodded. She smiled. "Good."

"You're not going anywhere!" yelled Kisei behind them.

"What!" yelled Koumi, looking at Kisei.

"Do you think I'm stupid? I know what you're planning to do. You can't escape woman."

Koumi looked at Kisei and then back at the ship. She looked down at her son whom she loved; whom one day she knew would make her proud. She looked at Kisei, her eyes burning with hatred.

"Maybe I can't… but my son can." Koumi kissed the top of Jinn's head.

"Goodbye, my son," she whispered to him.

Jinn gazed at her with a confused look. Suddenly, he was thrown into the ship as the hatch immediately shut tight and the pod sent out into space. The last thing he saw of his mother was her neck ornament, swinging back and forth like a pendulum of time.

"Kaa-san!" yelled Jinn, looking through the window of the ship. He saw his mother getting smaller and smaller, then he saw the ship getting smaller and smaller, then he saw no more.

* * *

The Saiya-jin woke up suddenly. The first and only thing he saw was white.

"Am I dead?" he murmured.

"No, just badly wounded," said a female voice.

The voice startled him and he looked around. He rose off of a bed and continued to scan the area.

"Who's there?" he asked. His vision was still distorted and he had to blink several times till it became clear. When it finally did, he discovered he was in a room.

The walls were a pinkish colour and the ceiling was white. There was a nearby window shut tight and towels lay nearby the bed. The room was a mess nonetheless.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"You're at Capsule Corporation," said the female voice again. "Home to Bulma Briefs."

He turned his head to the voice. There stood Gochi, sitting down on a chair besides the bed. In her hand was the book she had been reading in her house. She placed it on the bedside table.

"It's you," he said.

Gochi quickly sat up from the chair and pushed him back down.

"Don't get up, you'll make your wounds worse," she stated. Gochi walked towards the door, ready to tell Bulma that the Saiyan had awoken.

"That earthling girl," he continued.

Gochi halted in her tracks and turned around.

"Yep, the earthling girl. That's me," replied Gochi, laughing nervously. "I got to go for a little while. Stay in bed and don't get out, your wounds are pretty bad." Gochi walked out the door, the door swinging open, then shutting tight.

He sighed in arrogance and got up again. He looked around the room once again to find an escape. Any source of escape. He checked the door; it was tightly shut, built specifically to keep someone in. He continued ransacking the place for a means of escape. Finally, he gave up and sat on the side of the bed, gazing at the floor. Gochi came back in and walked over to the bedside where he sat.

"I told you not to get out of bed," she said.

He continued to stare at the floor.

"I already called Bulma-san. It's lucky we decided to bring you here, I mean for all you know you could have been taken away by some scientific freaks, or even worse, Mr. Satan."

"What happened?" asked the Saiya-jin; ignoring Gochi's talking.

"You passed out, don't know how though," replied Gochi. "Oniichan and I had to practically run to get you out of the crowd. Luckily, Vegeta-san and Trunks came by to help us out."

"Vegeta-sama! You mean, the prince!" yelled the Saiya-jin.

Gochi gave the Saiya-jin a clueless look.

"Um… Well, technically, yes. Why?" she asked, cocking her head to one side.

"You know the prince of Saiya-jins!" yelled the Saiya-jin.

Gochi looked at the Saiya-jin with a startled expression.

"Gee, you don't have to yell. Yes, I know Vegeta-san. Is something wrong with that?"

Now the Saiya-jin had a shocked expression.

_How can she, a mere earthling, know Vegeta-sama, the prince of Saiya-jins?_ thought the Saiya-jin, questioning.

"Are you okay? You look shocked," said Gochi, stating the obvious.

The Saiya-jin gazed up at Gochi.

"Why am I here?" he asked, again ignoring what Gochi said.

"Well, it's either here or in a lab somewhere underneath the Sahara Desert," joked Gochi, smiling.

The Saiya-jin raised an eyebrow, questioning her.

"Don't worry; you have to know 'earth' terms to actually know what the Sahara Desert is."

The Saiya-jin grunted and started concentrating on the floor again.

"What's your name anyway?" asked Gochi, changing the subject. There was a moment's silence.

"Jinn," he finally answered, still keeping his eyes fixed on the floor.

"Well, my name is Gochi." She looked at the Saiya-jin, who was still busy keeping his eyes fixed on the floor.

"How'd you get so beaten up anyway?" she finally asked.

Jinn finally looked up.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked.

"Well, I know you're Saiya-jin, judging by the way you act and the tail, and Saiya-jins don't tend to get beaten up that bad," replied Gochi.

"How do you know about Saiya-jins? You're only an earthling," Jinn stated, giving Gochi a sceptical look.

Gochi was hesitant for a while, thinking of what she could say.

"Well, do you know Go… I mean… Kakarott?" finally asked Gochi.

"Kakarott? Never heard of him," said Jinn.

"Okay, well that was a bad start," said Gochi.

There was a slight pause.

"Which Saiya-jins do you know, apart from family?" finally asked Gochi.

Jinn gave Gochi a sceptical look once again. Gochi sighed.

"You have to tell me something," she said, exasperated.

"Tarrec, Terni, Nik, Dyne and Gab," said Jinn, glaring at Gochi.

"Anyone else?"

Jinn looked back on the ground.

"No."

Gochi sighed in mild frustration. She suddenly got an idea.

"Do you know Frieza?"

Jinn's head immediately shot up.

"Frieza!" He startled Gochi.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"How do you know Frieza?"

Gochi answered timidly, a small sweat drop upon the back of her head.

"Well… my otou-san… he's the one who defeated him."

"What?" yelled Jinn, standing up.

Gochi fell down by the sudden outburst.

"You mean to tell me you're Saiya-jin!"

Gochi laughed nervously.

"Ano… hai; we're hybrid actually, my brothers and I."

Jinn sat down on the bed, a look of shock plastered on his face. The silence between the Saiya-jin and the demi–Saiya-jin stretched awkwardly. Gochi gazed at the clock on the wall. It read 1:55.

_Wow, it's already past lunch, _thought Gochi.

Gochi turned to the Saiya-jin who still looked slightly shocked.

"Jinn, are you hungry? It's past lunch," stated Gochi, pointing to the clock.

Jinn was about to say something when the door swung open. Gochi looked at the person, who had just entered the room, then turned to Jinn.

"Can you please not move around too much," said Gochi, standing up and moving to the door.

Jinn grunted again and lay down on the bed, his hands clasped behind his head. Gochi walked over to Bulma, who stood at the doorway, looking at the Saiya-jin.

"Bulma-san? What are you doing here?" asked Gochi quietly, also standing at the door.

"Well, you told me he was awake. I want to ask him some questions," explained Bulma walking inside.

Gochi looked at Bulma. She had cut her hair short and was now sporting a turtleneck shirt and black slacks, unlike her usual turtleneck short dress.

"Why?" she asked, the same look on her face that Goku had when confused.

Bulma pouted and sighed.

"Because we need to find out why he's here, or how he got here or something along the lines of those above questions."

"Yeah, I can understand that, but I don't know about the whole question thing. I mean you're only human," Gochi said. A sweat drop ran down her head at the glare ensued by her statement. "Well, would he actually listen to you?"

Bulma sighed impatiently.

"Well, I could simply tell him that I'm Vegeta-san's mate. He'll listen to me for sure," reassured Bulma.

Gochi gave her a sceptical look.

"Mate?" Bulma smiled thoughtfully.

"Saiya-jins call their partners mates instead of wives." Gochi blinked, clueless, then shrugged.

"Okay, good luck getting anything out of him. He doesn't like saying much… oh yeah, his name is Jinn," Gochi stated to Bulma.

Bulma nodded and walked further into the room. Gochi walked out, allowing the door to close behind her. Suddenly, her stomach growled in hunger. She looked down and laughed quietly to herself.

"Okay, I'm getting something to eat," she mumbled to herself, walking to the CC kitchen.

* * *

**Character Data**

_Gochi_ is the romanisation of the words _liu – chi_', meaning fruit tree

_Jinn_ originated from the spice _Gin_seng or _Gin_ger

_Kisei_ is Japanese for _death_

_Koumi_ is Japanese for _spice_

_Tarrec_ is an anagram of _Carrot_, I just changed the _o_ to an _a_ and the _i_ to an _e_

_Gab_ is from a type of pumpkin called _Gab_ardine (credit goes out to a friend from school who helped me with the name, although she doesn't know it.)

_Dyne_ comes from the word Gabar_dine_. Are they related? Yes, they are.

_Terni_ comes from the vegetable Turnip. I changed the 'u' to an 'e' and cut out the 'p' entirely.

_Nik_ come from Pump_kin_, however, his full name is Nikkum.


	2. Chapter One: Mysteries

The Unique Alliance 

**Disclaimer:** Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama, TOEI Animation, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA INC., FUNinmation.

**Disclaimer 2: **Jinn, Gochi, The Unique Alliance © Eileen Setiawan, H-san, Hina-chan (i.e. the author of the story)

**Disclaimer 3: **This story is only for recreational purposes. I do not intend to sell this to anyone/anything.

**PART 1: The Kindness of Strangers**

* * *

"… **Hope dangles on a string**

**Like slow spinning redemption**

**Winding in and winding out**

**The shine of it has caught my eye…"**

**Dashboard Confessional – Vindication**

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE – Mysteries**

Gohan closed his eyes, his chin resting on his hand with the cold, hard table in Capsule Corps's kitchen beneath him. Nearly dozing off, he woke with a start as he heard footsteps coming into the area. He lifted up his head and turned around wearily, coming face-to-face with his twin sister Gochi. He yelled in surprise, crashing onto the floor, which, in turn, caused her to do the same, both staring at each other as a silence reigned over the kitchen. As both realised whom one another were, they sighed in relief, Gochi peering at her twin brother agitatedly as her hand clutched her shirt over her heart.

"Gohan-san," she said. "What is your problem?"

Gohan got himself up, wryly grinning at his twin, his hand absently rubbing the back of his head as he tried to think of a suitable explanation for the incident.

"I… ano…" he started, laughing sheepishly afterwards. "Guess I'm still a little bit jumpy from the incident before."

Gochi smiled good-humouredly and punched his arm playfully.

"A little?" she questioned.

He laughed and swung his arm around his sister, drawing her closer as he rubbed his knuckle gently into her head in the form of a noogie. Gochi laughed, grabbing her older-twin brother's arm as he did this.

"Let's eat," he said, ignoring her comment.

She nodded, agreeing 100 percent to the idea.

* * *

Bulma sat opposite to the Saiya-jin, who was now sitting on the side of the bed. The invisible distance between her and him was stretching as the silence remained. At least there was one thing Bulma could confirm, Gochi was right. He really did not talk much. Bulma sighed in frustration, shattering the silence in the room with that single exhalation of breath.

"Okay," she started, hating the awkward silence. She really was not used to awkward silences. "You're 21, you have never been on Planet Vegeta, you have never been under the power of Frieza – the planet-killing tyrant – …" at this, Bulma saw a slight tug on Jinn's lips. Now she was getting somewhere or so she thought. "… and you can't go to Super-Saiya-jin mode. According to you, the only Saiyans you ever knew are these two unknowns named Gab and Tarrec and finally… you have no idea how you got here. How is that possible!" asked Bulma, putting a lock of her blue hair behind her ear in sheer annoyance.

The latter expression that had been seen for a short span of time on the Saiya-jin's face was now gone, and replaced with a placid, serious one. Bulma sighed in frustration again, stood and looked down at the Saiya-jin, who still remained in his position.

"Jinn, you _have_ to tell me something!" she yelled, getting into her stubborn position, legs shoulder width apart, arms crossed.

Jinn looked up at the blue-haired human.

"Okay, I will," he replied.

Bulma's eyes widened slightly. Those words were the longest she'd heard coming from his mouth. His placid expression now looked slightly annoyed – almost peeved.

"Uru – sei," he ended, saying the two words slowly, as if Bulma was stupid. He then looked down again.

Now if looks could kill, Bulma's would have at least turned them to stone. Mixtures of expressions – insult, hurt, shock and anger – were now imprinted on her face. Instinctively, her arms went down to her sides – fists clenched – and her face went slightly red with anger. She gritted her teeth, a million words racing across her mind, finding just the right ones that'd fit the man in front of her best. Finally, she let go of a stream of curses – ranging from intelligent to downright rude. Jinn – who hadn't expected that from such a weak person - fell back from shock, staring sceptically yet surprised at Bulma.

The two Sons ate and ate and ate downstairs, enjoying Mrs. Briefs' cooking. The bowls stacked higher and higher as the minutes passed until, finally, both had finished their meals, patting their stomachs in satisfaction. Mrs. Briefs watched happily, her eyes closed as usual, and a small smile on her cosmetic-covered lips.

"Arigatou Mrs. Briefs," they both chorused in unison – their expressions reflecting one of glee and satisfaction.

Mrs. Briefs laughed.

"It's okay, anything for Goku-san's children," she replied.

They both grinned happily, both offering to help as the blonde-haired mother of Bulma cleared out the plates. Shaking her head, she said:

"No, no, the both of you stay here and relax, you're our guests." With that, she walked off towards the kitchen sink, balancing the plates on her hands, taking each pile at a time.

As a contented silence reigned over the kitchen, it was broken by a shrill cry from above. The two Son twins looked up anxiously. As they both exchanged glances, they realized whom the cry had belonged too.

"Bulma-san," they both said, racing towards the upper part of CC.

Mrs. Briefs turned around from her washing, about to offer the two more drinks, then realised that both had disappeared. Her eyes opened, revealing a set of dazzling sky-blue jewels resembling Bulma's, and she looked around, utterly confused as to where the both of them had gone.

* * *

When the twins reached the room that held the Saiya-jin, the sight that had been set on their eyes had made them stare in utter shock and humour. A discontented Saiya-jin was backing off from a very ferocious looking Bulma, who seemed like all she wanted to do then was grab the man by the collar and kick his nether regions. Bulma was letting fly a stream of curses, her face slightly pink from yelling so much. Her fists were clenched so hard that her knuckles were now white, and if she had not been a friend of both twins and they had never known her, she would have been a terrible sight to see.

"Ano… Bulma-san…?" exclaimed Gohan, unsure of what to do as he cautiously made his way into the room.

Bulma suddenly stopped her blasphemous tumult and turned around quickly – instantly turning her red-hot anger onto the Son twins.

"What!" she spat.

Gohan backed of slightly at the look on Bulma's face, while Gochi remained hidden around the doorframe, hoping that the physical barrier would protect her from Bulma's icy glare. Even though both had come to know and love the blue-haired inventor and mistress of Capsule Corporation, she was still ferociously scary at times.

"Everything all right?" asked Gohan, his brow rose slightly in worry, his mouth formed into one of slight confusion.

Gochi peered at the scene from around the doorframe, her head peeking out ever so slightly. Bulma sighed in frustration and anger, her fists unclenching slightly, but still balled into fists.

"Yes, just fine," she said through clenched teeth.

The twins nodded slightly, laughing nervously. Bulma glared at the two and pointed a finger out of the door.

"May I talk to the both of you?"

Gohan and Gochi nodded once again, obeying her as they would their mother.

"Yes ma'am," they said in unison.

Bulma nodded and walked towards the door stiffly, the angered glare still upon her face. Gohan let her pass as he stared awkwardly at the male Saiya-jin, whom was now staring at the door as if a demon had just arrived and cursed him. He glanced at Gohan, a sceptical, yet slightly awkward, look on his face. Gohan shrugged as he backed out of the door, closing it behind him, leaving Jinn alone in the room to think about what had just happened.

* * *

"Hai Bulma-san?" asked Gochi once Gohan appeared by her side.

Bulma was taking a few deep breaths to get her heart and breathing back to optimum pace. She had no intention of staying angry, but she had every intention of remembering the incident. Logging it into her memory bank, she turned to the Son twins with a surprisingly pleasant look on her face. Both twins backed off slightly, expecting something.

"He is rather… _quiet…"_ said Bulma, clenching her teeth to emphasise the particular word of 'quiet'. "I think he ought to stay with you Gochi."

Gochi's eyes widened in extreme surprise at this suggestion. Before any words of protest escaped her lips, Gohan beat her to it.

"In no – I mean absolutely no way – will that… that man… _Saiya-jin_ stay at my imouto-chan's apartment! None, no – zip, zilch – nuddah, no! No! NO!" By this time, Gohan's arms were wildly flailing to emphasise all of the negativity he felt towards this idea – even though a once-very angry Bulma had proposed the idea.

Gochi stepped back to avoid the said flailing arms, nearly falling onto her posterior in the process. Bulma stared at Gohan with eyes filled with annoyance and a hint of anger. He was challenging her – no one but Vegeta ever challenged her.

"Gohan!" yelled Bulma, stopping Gohan mid-rant as he stared at the glare now implanted on the blue-haired beauty's face. "Stop that incessant whining," she snapped, causing him to back off slightly at the harsh tone in his voice.

Gohan looked slightly ashamed at being so… open with his emotions.

"Gomenasai Bulma-san," said Bulma, concentrating on a spot on the floor.

A short silence seemed to spread over the area before Gohan launched into another short rant. This time he explained to Bulma exactly the reason why the stranded Saiyan did not belong in Gochi's apartment – adding some very obvious exaggerated remarks into the explanation. Gochi stood in the background scratching her cheek, watching as her brother argued for her while Bulma looked on, all anger now gone as an understanding face spread over her features. Bulma knew how over-protective Gohan was towards his 40-minute-younger-little-sister.

"Gohan," started Bulma, smiling at him and placing a hand on his shoulder as he finally finished his long and strenuous rant. "I know it might be a bit… awkward having the Saiya-jin stay at Gochi's place, but you must understand. CC is commonly full of people – especially because it's the middle of the financial year. We can't have him stay with you, your mother would be furious. I _definitely_ do not want him to be a metre near that perverted Roshi's place – plus it's way too far for me to check up on him every now and again. The closest – not to mention emptiest – place to let him stay is Gochi's apartment. I know it might be hard for you to accept him into your sister's – may I emphasise _sister's_ – apartment, but we really need this. Please, just for the time being. Once I find a suitable room where there are no… complications, I'll place him here. But just for now – only for now – will I put him into Gochi's apartment."

Gohan's shoulders slumped in defeat as his head also bowed down in a sigh.

"Hai Bulma-san…" he mumbled.

Bulma unconsciously brushed a lock of hair from her face as she smiled at him. She then turned to Gochi, surprised to find that the female of the twin siblings was missing. Blinking in utter confusion, Bulma's head jerked from left to right, trying to find the demi-Saiya-jin within the vicinity. Gohan noticed this confusion, staring as equally confused at Bulma himself.

"What is it?" he asked, confused.

"Where'd she go?" said Bulma, an edge of both irritation and bewilderment in her voice.

Gohan looked around, a more confused look spreading over his already confused face.

"I… I'll go see if she walked to the kitchen. She may have gotten bored and went that way," suggested Gohan.

Bulma nodded.

"Hai, please do. I have to tell her to get him from here to her apartment."

Gohan nodded and walked towards the direction he had arrived from only minutes before. Bulma placed her hands on her hips, looking around in utter confusion. Where could she have gone in such a short span of time?

* * *

He was asleep… he looked… peaceful asleep… Gochi tilted her head to one side as she admired the sleeping form of the Saiya-jin Jinn.

_He must have fallen asleep from the exhaustion of hearing all of Bulma's yelling,_ she giggled to herself.

During Gohan's rant, Gochi had slipped back into the room to get her book back – which she had realised was still sitting upon the bedside table. However, as she had gained entrance into the room, she had seen the sleeping Saiya-jin – and had taken the opportunity to admire how peaceful he looked.

She could not help but admire more than his serenity in sleep. Her eyes seemed to travel of their own right as they scanned over his solidly built form – the bandages seeming to _accentuate _the body of the young Saiya-jin. His chest, bloodstained and bandaged, moved steadily with each breath. His build looked different to that of his father's or brother's… his was lean yet… robust. The sinew and muscle connected together perfectly and moved in harmony as he moved in his restful slumber. His collarbone was strongly accentuated with the light and shadow in the room, which came in the form of the flapping blinds moving mildly as the wind from the outside blew. This collarbone was connected to a strong, but lean, neck. Finally, her eyes trailed to his face. He had a slightly tapered chin – connected to a strong jaw line. His eyes were still narrow, yet he looked relaxed. As if sleep was his sanctuary… as if he could sleep forever. For several minutes, Gochi was dazed as she investigated his body with her eyes – gazing at his well-built form, his smooth muscle-movements as he occasionally moved in sleep and, most of all, at the peaceful expression on his once apathetic face. As he moved onto his stomach, a flash of red caught her eyes. Was he bleeding again? No… it was not that colour… it was a crimson red… the same cover as her book.

_Oh no,_ she thought, as her attention immediately diverted to the object that had brought her into the room. _My book… he can't… he wouldn't… would he?_ She looked at Jinn, a panicked expression on her face.

Sure enough, lying limply in his gloved hand was her book.

The first thought that flitted through Gochi's mind was: _… see… how am I supposed…?_

Gochi walked quietly towards the slumbering Saiya-jin…reaching for her book. Unfortunately for her, the book was halfway underneath Jinn's body. Gochi sighed as silently as she could as she grabbed hold of the corner of the book, trying hard not to waken the Saiya-jin.

_Steady… steady… _she said to herself, steadily regaining the book bit-by-bit. As she nearly liberated the book from Jinn's very firm grip (_Wow, how tense is this guy? _thought Gochi), she was suddenly grabbed – roughly grabbed – by a very alarmed Jinn.

Gochi gasped as she was sent tumbling onto the bed on her back with a very-intimidating Jinn on top of her. A red glow spread across Gochi's face as she realised her awkward position. Jinn, who had woken quite suddenly by the movement so close, delayed himself from moving from the position until he had caught his bearings. As he realised who was underneath him, and what exactly had happened, he sat up slowly, the apathetic look once again on his face. Gochi, who sat up from her subdued position slowly herself, looked down at her book.

"Go… gomenasai…" she said shyly, bowing her head as she tried to hide the visible blush on her cheeks.

Jinn made a small sound of acknowledgement to the apology, but nothing else.

"I… I was only trying to get my book back…" explained Gochi, holding up the crimson red cover.

"Grave of the Fireflies…" translated Jinn, looking at the far wall.

A bright light seemed to spark into Gochi's eyes as she heard this. She looked at the title of the book with a smile.

"You know how to read Japanese kanji?" she asked. Again, the small sound of acknowledgement was made. "Hotaru no Haka… (Grave of the Fireflies…)" murmured Gochi, still smiling.

"You left it in here…" he stated bluntly.

Gochi laughed.

"Yeah, I can be forgetful at times. Kind of… runs in the family, you know?"

Jinn gazed at her with a sideways glance. He had only known her for some time, and already, her attitude reminded him of someone he knew.

_Strangely enough,_ he thought to himself as he stared down at the floor once more.

"I should get going now. My onii-chan and Bulma-san are probably wondering where I am." With that, Gochi stood and stretched – walking towards the door that led to the corridor.

However, before she could even get her hand on the handle…

"Have you seen Gochi anywhere!" asked a very confused, flustered and annoyed Bulma as she swung the door open… right onto Gochi.

The awkward look he had during Bulma's ferocious outburst returned on Jinn's face as the woman entered the room – made even more awkward as Gochi was smacked into the wall by the force of the hastily flung door. A few minutes of silence reigned supreme until Gochi was finally able to make a small, pathetic _'itai'_ from the wall. Bulma gained a sceptical, yet slightly horrified expression, on her face at the sound. She looked about the room, refusing to believe she had just done what she had just done. Nevertheless, Jinn confirmed her horror as he looked to Bulma's right. Sure enough, plastered to the wall, was a very hurt, disorientated, shocked and surprisingly humorous Gochi. Bulma's shriek filled the once-silent room as she dragged Gochi to the bed where Jinn currently sat in both bewilderment and awkwardness. After all, he had _just_ arrived on Earth and people were already acting strangely… at least to him.

"Gochi! Are you all right? You're not hurt badly are you… are you? Please tell me you're all right!" said Bulma in a hurry of words.

At that moment, Gohan decided to enter the room. Not good.

"What happened? Why is she hurt?" asked Gohan, confused. In his confusion and from the kindness of his heart (at least towards his sister), he turned on the only person who could have possibly done it: Jinn.

"What did you do!" accused Gohan, turning a very surprisingly deadly glare onto the Saiya-jin. Jinn stared at him with complete bewilderment and scepticism.

"Don't ask me," he said his voice icy with annoyance. "Ask her." He jerked his head towards Bulma, who continued to incessantly ask a bewildered Gochi if she was all right.

Now… Gohan was confused…

* * *

"A crater the size of half a football field… no, one and a half the size of a football field… has created chaos to all citizens within the Southern City block. There have been many deaths and casualties found by the Police Search and Rescue Team as they rummage amongst the remains of what were once a falling spaceship. This has to be one of the greatest calamities known to us all – only second to the wrath of the monstrous Cell faced but 5 years ago. The city prays that our Hero, Mr. Satan, will save the day and bring this fiend to the right punishment it deserves!"

The radios were blaring with reports similar to this – all based on the occurrence of the falling star, which had fatefully crashed into the Earth's surface, blemishing the land that was once there. Roads caved in under the impact caused by the plummeting ship, buildings seemed to bow down towards it – chaos was everywhere around the city. Women, men and children cried for the loss of loved ones, or rejoiced in seeing that they were still alive. Men in yellow suits scoured the area, checking for any signs of dangerous alien waves, or a galactic virus, whilst others heaved and pushed rubble out of the way to find those unfortunate people who had gotten caught between rubble and ground. Paramedics, firemen and police seemed to flit about the area. It was common to see either of these people talking to someone, or taking care of the wounded.

Within the calamity, standing quite bravely for someone so young stood a girl. Her black tresses were tied into ponytails that fell down her back – silky and mid length. Her piercing blue eyes stared at the colossal crater, scanning for any clues as to who could have possibly done it. She wore a pale blue XXXL T-shirt; black tight pants and black boots. Her gloved hands clenched as her mouth formed into one of utter disgust at the sadistic act that had taken place.

_I will find you… and get you…_ she thought. Turning around, she called a civilian over.

"Excuse me, do you know what happened here?" she asked. The civilian's eyes went wide at being called on by this particular person, but answered as best he could.

"Well…" began the woman. She cleared her throat. "I remember… two young people. Not very sure of who they were, they looked very unfamiliar to me. They seemed to be… _helping_ that… that alien."

Her eyes narrowed. "Are you sure you don't them? Can you describe them at least?"

The woman looked thoughtful.

"Well… there was a young man. He had a very nice face to him, very gentle expression. His hair looked very unkempt – spiked this way and that. His clothes… well, they looked quite oriental. And the young lady. Her hair was long, flowed down to her waist I would say. Her expression was like the other – gentle and kind. Her clothes, I failed to notice. They were both unfamiliar, oh yes… very, very unfamiliar. Gomenasai Videl-san, I know your father needs the information but you're going to have to ask someone with a better memory. Mine is not what it used to be."

Videl nodded in understanding as she turned to find another civilian. Finding another one was no problem for her, although she had failed to find the _right_ one.

"Sir, would you happen to know what happened here?" The man she had encountered seemed badly shaken. His face was quite pale and Videl could see that his blonde hair seemed matted in red. Regardless, he answered his question, seeming to be extremely agitated.

"I… yes… I do. It… it was so quick. I was just doing my daily routine, than suddenly… BANG… I find myself pi… pinned against the wall. I smelt my own blood… smelt it coming from myself. I felt nothing… nothing… but pain…"

Her eyes fell sympathetic. She knew she had called to the wrong person.

"Have you seen a physician?" she asked.

The man nodded.

"Ye… yes, bu… but he said…"

She shook her head.

"Let's get you to him, ne?"

Carefully, she led him to a nearby ambulance.

* * *

Ice felt good – very good – as Gochi tentatively pressed it to the back of her head where the wall and her head had made contact. The ringing in her head was gone at least, but the wall was in a state of disaster. The hole, which had been dented into it, would have to be repaired by someone, considering how big the dent was. Gohan, although looking in concern from time-to-time at his sister, seemed more relaxed, now that his confusion was explained – although he had yet to apologise for the false accusation of the male Saiya-jin. Bulma was much too flustered to even bother asking Gohan to apologise to the Saiya-jin – not that she had any reason to ask. Jinn was the reason why she was so disconcerted in the first place!

"Gomanasai Bulma-san," apologised Gochi in a tone that held hurt, sincerity and embarrassment all in one. "Guess I should have told you where I was going."

Bulma sighed to calm herself down before talking again. In her hand she held a steaming cup of coffee and her mind was itching for a cigarette to at least hold. Alas, she ignored the craving and went to the business at hand.

"It's okay, no need to apologise. Your little brother and Trunks always make dents in the walls – and trust me, they're much bigger than that," said Bulma, trying to lighten the mood as she motioned to the previous location of the awkward accident.

Gochi bowed her head and smiled. Bulma returned the smile, sighed softly, and then changed the subject to the matter at hand.

"Okay you three. We've got our work cut out for us. We need to get _you_…" she pointed at Jinn. "… Over to her house…" she then motioned to Gochi. "… And we need you…" she motioned to Gohan. "…To help out."

Gohan stared at Bulma for a while, absorbing that.

"Me? Why do you need me for?" he asked looking as clueless as his father.

Bulma took a swig of her coffee and placed her index finger and thumb on the bridge of her nose before continuing.

"Gohan, if you don't help out, Gochi will _definitely **not**_ get this Saiya-jin into the building. You're our little distraction," explained Bulma.

Gohan's mouth opened wide in surprise.

"M… m… me!" he asked. "B… but how!" He regretted asking that.

"You'll have to distract Gochi's landlady. She's a tough nut to crack, but once you've got her on a topic she's passionate about, she'll keep on flapping her mouth."

"Why me? Can't someone else do it? … Like you?"

Bulma made a noise between a scoff and a laugh.

"Oh no, Gohan, I can't do it. I'm much, _much_ too busy. Plus, you're her brother – twin to boot – so the landlady will take a _great_ interest in you to find out more about her patron – that is to say – Gochi."

Gochi, who was once again listening within the background, watched their conversation like a Wimbledon match. Her eyes absently drifted to the Saiya-jin, who, unbeknownst to her, was watching her from the corner of his strangely coloured eyes. They were amber, a deep autumn brown colour. She also noticed that behind those eyes she could feel something – something different – a mystery waiting to be solved…

"OI!" interrupted Gohan's voice.

Gochi jolted back to reality as she looked at the face of her brother.

"Ne…" came Gochi rather stupidly.

"It's time we go… unfortunately," said Gohan, the end turning into a grumble. Gochi smiled.

"Hai."

* * *

**Dictionary**

_-san_ – Expressed for respect towards a person, preferably an older male or female, but could be used for someone important.

_ano…_ – Expression for 'um…'

_arigatou_ – Japanese for 'thankyou', can also be _domo arigatou_

_imouto-chan_ – Little sister

_gomenasai_ – sorry (polite form), can also be said as _gomen_

_hai_ – yes, can also be _un _when in conversation

_see_ – Gochi's expression for 'damn'/ 'darn'. Said as "se"

_onii-chan_ – Older brother, preferably should be _onii-san_

_itai_ – Expression for 'ouch' or 'ow'

_oi!_ – Expression for 'hey!' but polite.

_-, ne…_ - not really a word, but can be translated into '-, right?' or '-, okay?' when at the end of a sentence.

_Urusei –_ expression for "shut up".


	3. Chapter Two: The Big Distraction

**The Unique Alliance**

**Disclaimer:** Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama, TOEI Animation, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA INC., FUNinmation.

**Disclaimer 2: **Jinn, Gochi, The Unique Alliance © Eileen Setiawan, H-san, Hina-chan (i.e. the author of the story)

**Disclaimer 3: **This story is only for recreational purposes. I do not intend to sell this to anyone/anything.

**PART 1: The Kindness of Strangers**

* * *

**"Say this world is not so shallow **

**When you can't beg, steal, or borrow,**

**Save your breath, your soul is hollow,**

**And it's all too much to swallow…" **

**The Remedy – Abandoned Pools**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO – The Big Distraction**

Gohan carried the Saiya-jin cargo, one of Jinn's arms swung around his shoulders, as Gochi flew forward. Jinn had a cloak over his body, a hood over his head. To passers-by he would have looked like a beggar… if there were onlookers in the sky. In the distance, the monolithic edifice of a Capsule Corporation structure could be seen growing as they reached Satan City.

"There it is…" said Gochi, turning her head to look at the two. "Not a long way from here." Gohan nodded, glad that they were finally close to the destination; he was getting tired of carrying the older Saiya-jin around.

"Oi… ano… isn't it time we swapped?" asked Gochi.

Gohan looked at his sister, slightly surprised. "Nan? What do you mean?"

Gochi smiled. "Well, you are the one distracting, oniichan."

Gohan's shoulder slumped, a small sweat drop running down his forehead. "Un…"

Gochi giggled, flying over to the two. As Gohan handed the Saiya-jin over to his sister, she smiled at Jinn. "Don't worry. I won't drop you."

Jinn's eyes, which had shifted to gaze at her, looked away towards the direction of the city.

"Come on. Before I change my mind…" said Gohan, flying ahead.

"Hai!" exclaimed Gochi, flying after her brother, with a weary Jinn hanging off her arm.

* * *

Gohan sighed, looking at the entrance of the building. The darkness of the hallways loomed liked the inner abyss of nothingness. It seemed as if the entrance of the apartment building had turned against him. With a small bluish tint upon his visage, he turned to Gochi.

"Oh… what's wrong oniichan? Do you feel ill?" asked Gochi, onlookers staring at the strangely cloaked man she carried.

Some whispered how strange she was, others smiled at her warmly, saying how helpful it was of her. Meanwhile, tears streamed down Gohan's face as his lower lip quivered.

"Do I have to…?"

Gochi sighed, pouting despite her package. "Oniichan, we've been through this already."

Gohan slumped in defeat. "Hai, hai… Bulma's word is absolute."

Gochi smiled sympathetically. "No matter oniichan… she takes a liking to men. I think it's because she's searching…"

Even though Gochi tried to cheer up her twin brother, she only succeeded in causing him greater humiliation.

* * *

Gohan entered the apartment building, walking up to the front desk with the most feigned expression of happiness he could muster. The woman at the front desk looked up at him through rose-tinted glasses.

"Yes?" she asked her expression sharp, her tone sharper.

_Gochi… you owe me big… _thought Gohan, telepathically sending hate waves to his little sister.

Gochi, outside of the apartment, grew a large sweat drop atop her head.

"Ohaiyou gozaimasu, ma'am," Gohan said, politely smiling at the woman.

The woman cocked a brow at such manners from a very youthful-looking young man.

"May I please have the resident number of Son Gochi?"

"Oh, you know her?" asked the lady, taking an interest in the young man.

Gohan's smiled brightened.

"Oh yes, she's my imouto-chan!"

A smile slowly spread across the woman's face, her eyes containing a hint of bemusement. Gohan could practically see the alarms go off within the woman's head.

"So… tell me, young man… what is your name?"

"Son Gohan, ma'am."

"Mmm… what's Gochi like?"

_Here we go…_ thought Gohan, his mouth automatically saying all of the things he had rehearsed with Bulma.

Meanwhile, Gochi glided in silently with her parcel, careful not to attract anyone's attention. Luckily for her, rarely anyone loitered in the CC unit's halls for fear of the proprietor's wrath. As she neared the elevators, the landlady stopped in her interrogation with Gohan, causing Gochi to become slightly panicked.

_Oh Kami… did she…? _she thought.

_No… glass of water; HURRY UP!_ Gohan replied.

The sharp ding of the elevator was like salvation. Gochi clambered in, quickly pressing herself against the side and closing the elevator shut… but not before she was joined with more company.

"Oh great…" mumbled Gochi, seeing the ever-talkative, ever-gossiping, ever-flirtatious Renee Gallagher.

She came into the elevator, her cheeks flushed from the run to the front door to the elevator.

"Wait!" she hollered, grabbing the doors and yanking them open. As she saw the cloaked man, her weary expression turned into a big smile. To her, Jinn was just fresh meat: a new gossiping topic to talk about with her friends. Her grin grew wider at the sight of Gochi.

"Konnichiwa, Gallagher-san," said Gochi, her expression endearing as ever would be.

Gallagher smiled knowingly.

"Yo Gochi-chan…"

Inwardly, Gochi sighed. This was going to be a long elevator ride.

"How are you?"

Gallagher nodded, shifting her shopping bags in her arms. "Oh, I'm well… and you?" she asked.

"Me too; just taking a friend of mine to the apartment."

"Friend?" Gallagher held a questioning look.

Gochi smiled. "Family friend; my father knew him during his Arts days."

"So, he's an artist?"

A large sweat drop ran down Gochi's head. "Kind of…"

"Oh, is that why he's so mysterious and hidden?"

"Well…"

"Has he made any famous works?"

"Ano…"

"Oh, I must come over some time to see these works…"

"Ano…"

"You will let me, yes?"

"A…"

"Sugoi! I'll be there tomorrow!" There was the familiar ding of the elevator as Gallagher departed, waving and looking excited at the prospect of having an 'artiste' within the building.

Gochi stood in the elevator, her eyes merely two dots set in her head as she wondered where she went completely wrong. She heard a small chuckle come from under the hood. Was he laughing at her? Pouting, she turned her head to look at him.

"Oi, I'm not the one who has to act like an artist!"

Jinn, underneath the hood, lost his smirk, replacing it with a scowl. Now she was reminding him of two people he once knew.

* * *

As Gochi finally reached her apartment, she set the Saiya-jin down on her settee, sitting down next to him. She was glad that the elevator and her apartment were connected; after all, Bulma had given her the top loft, which was very similar to a studio. She sighed, throwing down her weight as she collapsed onto the comforting cushions of her sofa. Her eyes turned to the Saiya-jin.

"Jinn… you okay?" she asked.

Jinn grunted, throwing back his head to get the hood off him. Gochi giggled.

"Gomen… it was the only thing we could possibly hide you under. I mean…" Gochi stared out at the inner city, seeing the smoke rising. "You did ruin half the city…"

Jinn turned his gaze towards the direction she had looked, seeing that he had indeed made a mess of things.

"Where's my ship?" he asked.

Gochi turned towards him. "Probably still at the centre or being towed away."

Jinn looked at her with an incredulous look. "Towed…" His tone was flat, unbelieving.

"Yeah, well…"

"How am I supposed to get back without a ship?" he asked, standing up.

Gochi stared at him, laughing nervously. "Well, I'm sure that Bulma-san can… "

"Can what? Build me another shi…" A cry of pain interrupted the Saiya-jin's rant as his knees gave way and he collapsed onto the sofa.

Gochi gasped. "You have to be more careful!"

Jinn gritted his teeth, gasping in and out. He shot a sidelong glance at her. "I need that ship."

Gochi stared sympathetically at the Saiya-jin. "We'll get it… somehow… but you can't go around hurting yourself all over again."

Jinn gazed at the floor, silence reigning over the apartment. Gochi then stood up.

"Lay down. I'll get you something to drink."

Jinn stared after her, questions plaguing his mind.

"Oi…"

Gochi turned around, a puzzled look on her face.

"Hn?" she asked.

He looked at the box-like apparatus in front of him, staring at her reflection on its blackened screen. "Why… are you doing this?" he asked.

Gochi stared at him, blinking slowly. She then smiled. "Because, Jinn, some people just need to be taken care of." With that, she turned around and walked into the kitchen.


	4. Chapter Three: Senzu Part One

**The Unique Alliance**

**Disclaimer:** Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama, TOEI Animation, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA INC., FUNinmation.

**Disclaimer 2: **Jinn, Gochi, The Unique Alliance © Eileen Setiawan, H-san, Hina-chan (i.e. the author of the story)

**Disclaimer 3: **This story is only for recreational purposes. I do not intend to sell this to anyone/anything.

**PART 1 The Kindness of Strangers**

* * *

"… **Feel the rain on your skin**

**No one else can feel it for you**

**Only you can let it I**

**No one else, no one else can**

**Speak the words on your lips**

**Drench yourself in words unspoken**

**Live your life with arms wide open **

**Today is where your book begins**

**The rest is still unwritten…"**

**Unwritten – Natasha Bedingfield**

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE – Senzu (Segment One)**

Every news station, radio station, publication sensationalised the story of the alien spacecraft and its "mystical abilities". Scientists told of it as the greatest find on Earth, others warned of how it could be used as a weapon of mass destruction. However, a certain Saiya-jin knew better.

"Kuso…" he muttered, watching as his spaceship was being showcased in a 'secret warehouse'. It was official… they had towed his ship away.

Gochi came in, looking at the news report in amusement, yet still trying to retain sympathy towards the Saiya-jin.

"Jinn… I'm sure we'll be able to get it back."

Jinn glared at the girl, who shrugged, laughing nervously.

"I'm trying to be positive."

Jinn sighed, grumbling incoherently as he saw scientists, blurred for private reasons, come in with different tools. They then began 'inspecting' the vehicle. Jinn yelled in frustration, teeth bared at the television as he watched this spectacle go on before his eyes.

"Konoyaro! If they had half a brain…"

Gochi laughed nervously, walking away from the blasphemous rant she knew was going to ensue. She watched from her new position behind the counter of her kitchen, inspecting his bandages. His minor wounds had grown better over the course of his time at the apartment, and regular visits from Bulma made sure of this recovery. However, his arm was still broken, there seemed to be a problem with his lower spine, and he was still weak from all the blood he had lost. Plus… his attitude was something that could not be 'fixed', so to speak.

Even though Jinn had been there for several weeks, her landholder had yet to find out about him; however Gochi was ever alert for that fateful knock on the door. Gallagher's visits made her even more nervous, especially during that first day when she had arrived to check up on the so-called artist. Her stay there involved Jinn to cover-up in the cloak, which Gochi had dubbed the "LotR cloak", and her having to do most of the talking. Gallagher, having taken a liking to the "mysterious artiste", asked, or more confirmed that she would be coming over once again. Over the weeks, her visits had been at irregular times, and Gochi feared that she would spread Gochi's visitor around. Luckily, Gallagher was content with keeping it to herself.

A bellow of pain caused Gochi to gasp, running towards him. Jinn growled, giving her a glare that caused her to stop.

"I'm fine…" he growled, gasping in and out.

Gochi walked the remaining paces to get to his side.

"Jinn, you have to be careful not to strain yourself. The last time you did strenuous activity, you collapsed in a heap on the floor. Try to relax until Bulma-san can get some senzus for you."

Gochi's hand instinctively rested on his shoulder. He allowed the touch, however, was still wary of the pain. As his pain subsided, he swallowed hard and leant back. Gochi let go of his shoulder and, sitting next to him, turned off the television. After a long pause, Jinn opened his eyes slightly.

"Senzu?" asked Jinn, his brow cocking at the mention of the strange name.

"Hai. It's a… ano…" Gochi lifted her hand to her chin in thought. "… magical bean!"

Jinn's shoulders slumped at the answer, a small sweat drop sliding down the back of his head. After some silence, Jinn queried Gochi on this bean.

"What does this magical bean do?" Jinn's tone was flat, signifying his incredulous outlook on these 'senzus'.

Gochi looked thoughtful, and then glancing at Jinn, gave him an enigmatic smile.

"I'll let you figure that out…"

Jinn glanced sidelong at Gochi, suspicious of the potentially ominous answer. She merely smiled warmly at him, stood up and walked to the kitchen, preparing to cook the afternoon meal.

* * *

The next morning, a gentle shaking and two warm hands broke Jinn's dreamless slumber. He opened his eyes, looking into two black orbs. She smiled down at him.

"Ohaiyou gozaimasu," she said quietly.

Jinn gazed at her perplexedly, annoyed that he was woken. Gochi smiled, her face disappearing from his view. Sitting up, Jinn looked to where she was headed. On the kitchen counter, he saw a bag, simple in design and held together by a frayed piece of string.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Gochi turned towards him, the bag now in her hands.

"Remember the magical beans?" she asked, replying with a question.

Jinn answered with an affirmative sound, looking slightly suspicious. Gochi held up the bag, sitting next to Jinn and pouring its contents onto her palm. Out of the bag fell two beans, kidney-shaped and brown much like any other bean. He could not see how 'magical' these beans were.

"Take one." Her voice interrupted his thoughts, causing him to look up at the girl.

She grabbed a bean from her own hand, and held it out for him. He looked suspiciously at the bean.

"Oh come on, you baby."

Jinn glared at her, grunted, and took the bean.

Popping it into his mouth, he started to chew, noting that it was hard and crunchy with no taste. He swallowed, immediately feeling the effects of the bean. Eyes wide, he noticed how much more rejuvenated he felt. His arm felt completely healed, his back in an equally better condition. He stared in disbelief at Gochi, who merely smiled at him.

"My oniichan came over early this morning. Apparently, Bulma-san had given him the senzus yesterday." She chuckled. "Do you feel any better?"

Silently, Jinn nodded, dumbstruck at this 'magic'. Gochi giggled, standing up and walking to the kitchen.

"If you're tired, you can keep sleeping. I'm making breakfast."

Jinn stared after her; eyes still wide, confusion plaguing his mind.

_Senzu…_he thought, looking at the blackened screen of the television in front of him. _… suke._

* * *

The weeks passed by normally, Jinn now able to walk about the apartment and investigate its interior. The first room he investigated was the kitchen, where all the aromatic meals wafted from when he lay helpless on the couch. Looking about the kitchen, he noticed the simple tools used to cook these meals, mentally comparing them to other inventions he had encountered during his lifetime. Opening the fridge, he found himself looking at piles upon piles of foodstuffs, his brow cocking slightly at the quantity of food for just one person. He looked to the girl, who was busy typing away at some contraption on the dining desk and wondered how one person could eat so much. Realising he was talking about a hybrid, he sighed inwardly and closed the rectangular cold box.

Looking about, he moved down the hallway, seeing a set of two doors on either side of him. He opened the one to his right, revealing a lit room with a bed, a pile of books, and a desk. It seemed the room was unused. Closing the door, he left the room behind, investigating the other door to his left. This door led to more books, a large two-seater desk and a bookcase filled with shelves and shelves of tomes. Afternoon light streamed from the window, illuminating the room in a warm orange glow. Exiting, he continued on his exploration. As he continued further down the hall, he spotted a third doorway. However, what interested him more was the sliding door to his right. He walked down into the recess and entered the doors.

There, he came face-to-face with a blue-tiled washroom. It was no wonder he would hear splashing from this location. The bathtub-Jacuzzi combination, as Earthlings so-called it, sat to the top-right of the sliding door Jinn had just entered. Nearest to him, but still to the left, was the shower, toiletries belonging to the hybrid girl distinguishable through the opaque casing. In front of him lay the toilet, seat down, lid down, with the needed necessities on hand; including extra rolls of toilet tissue neatly stacked and close in reach. Between the Jacuzzi-tub combination and the toilet was the sink, with all the necessary toiletries splayed out on the spaces to the sides of the basin. There was also another door leading to another room; however, which room this was, he did not know. The door to his left looked like a normal-hinged door, similar to those he saw connected to other rooms. He also noted the smell, sweet and aromatic, and wondered if this girl had that disorder… what was it called again…? Jinn pondered, but could not take the trouble of remembering it. Moving on, he exited the bathroom through the other door.

He had arrived in a bedroom… but it looked more like a library. He looked at the stacks upon stacks of books, reading some labels, and realised he was within the room that was to the right of him as he came into the hall. The books scattering the floor ranged from fiction to non-fiction, all of which were either hardback novels, manuscripts of different documents, or drama scripts. He walked towards the desk situated within the room, picking up a random book. Reading the cover, he chuckled slightly:

**Robert Louis Stevenson**

_The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_

_and Other Tales of Terror_

He put down the book, picking up another one. His brow cocked at this one, wondering where she managed to get such a strange book.

**Paul Jennings**

UNSEEN

He looked at the strange cover, a seashell, containing an eye with tentacles growing out from the confines of the casing. He shuddered, reflecting back on the time he had met something similar. Putting the book down, he moved to the bed, sitting on the soft bedstead and looking about the room. Cluttering the floor were other books, some containing brightly coloured stickers from its confines. He picked up the closest book to him, noticing that it was a drama script. Opening to the labelled page, he read the passage highlighted, cocking a brow at such strange language.

**LEAR **

Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! Rage!

blow!

You cataracts and hurricanoes, spout

Till you have drench'd our steeples! Drown the

cocks!

You sulph'rous and thought-executing fires,

Vaunt-curriers of oak-cleaving thunderbolts,

Singe my white head! And thou, all-shaking

thunder,

Strike flat the thick rotundity o' th' world,

Crack Nature's moulds, all germens spill at once

That make ingrateful man!

A giggle at the door caused him to look up in startled wariness; his eyes falling on the hybrid, leaning against the door, the contraption she had been working on now folded in a case by her side.

"Hey, you found the guest room." She walked in placing the bag on the desk… or what space there was on the desk. Looking over at him, an apologetic look crossed her face. "I'll clean this room up when I have the time… then you can have it."

Jinn looked away.

"I don't care… you can leave all the books in here for all I'm concerned…"

Gochi stared, blinking, her eyes than trailing to the book he held in his hands. She smiled.

"Looking through King Lear, ne?" she asked, walking over to the bed and sitting next to him. She read the passage out loud and smiled absently. "Many believe this is where the king had gone raving mad…" she began to explain. "You see, after his two daughters, Gonerill and Regan, banished him from the nobleman, Gloucester's, castle, King Lear was left to fend for himself, oh… well not really himself. He had the help of his jester; rightfully named the Fool, and his ever-faithful servant, Kent, although by this time, he had gone under the guise of Caius." Gochi sighed, looking thoughtful. "It really is a tragedy… how such people could put one person under so much grief… so much so, that he died…"

Jinn stared at the play in his hands, a strange feeling stirring within him. Gochi's chuckle broke his thought as he turned to look at her.

"I guess I'm just boring you with such a mediocre thing… I find the beauty in Shakespeare…" She laughed out loud. "Others think I'm strange."

Standing up, Gochi sighed, looking at the clock above the desk.

"Well, it's nearly dinnertime, and I should get going. Have to buy some things before preparation." She turned to Jinn, giving him a smile, and turning back to the door, walked out. "Feel free to look around!" she called out to him as she exited the door.

Jinn placed the book where it had been, and before standing up to investigate more of the house, took one last sweep of the area. This hybrid was a very strange girl indeed.

Standing up, he walked to the door that the hybrid had exited. He found himself in the hallway again, confirming that this was the first door to the right in the hallway. The next door he spotted stood to the right of him; however, he knew this was the room with the bookcase. Walking further down, he eyed the second door to the right, pondering if he should enter into its confines. He knew that this was where Gochi entered at night and exited in the morning, easily making that out by listening to the opening and shutting of the door whilst lying upon the couch. Right at that moment, however, the door swung open and out appeared Gochi, dressed to go out. As she fixed her long hair into a ponytail, she turned to look at the Saiya-jin. Smiling, she walked up to him.

"Gomen nasai Jinn-san, but you have to stay here." (_'There she goes… with 'san' again…'_ thought Jinn.) "It's still too dangerous for you to be going places, plus people will think you're strange… dressed like that…" She laughed nervously.

Jinn looked at his attire, noticing he still wore the torn spandex.

"I'll buy you something when I go, ne?"

Jinn looked up at her, then, as always, looked away. She smiled again, passing by him.

"Ita… rasshai…" spoke Jinn's voice, causing Gochi to stop in her tracks.

She turned to look at him, slightly startled. He was still looking in the other direction, but there was no mistaking what he had just said. A warm smile spread across her face.

"Itte kimasu."

Jinn remained staring in the other direction, hearing for the opening and shutting of the front door. At her exit, Jinn hesitantly made his way to the door of Gochi's room. Sighing, he grabbed the handle and made his way inside.

* * *

'_Does this girl have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder…?'_

A part of him eureka-ed as he remembered the name of the disorder, however, he was much too dumbstruck to think of that. The bed in which she slept on was neatly folded, the cushions and toys lined neatly on the bed. The desk laid organised, books in alphabetical order, pens neatly placed in the penholder. Pictures lined the topmost part of the desk, showing pictures of her family. Jinn was familiar with the boy: her twin brother, however, the rest he had yet to meet… and he did not want to meet. There were other pictures mounted on the walls and an alarm clock flashed the time atop her bedpost.

Then there was that familiar smell: the smell from the bathroom? No, this smelled sweeter. He realised why it was so familiar… she regularly wore it as a perfume or so he thought. Looking closer at the desk, he noticed the thin trail of smoke wafting from a stick. Incense? Jinn cocked a brow, coming closer, and his eyes falling on a picture of a man before the incense holder. As he peered at the picture, the sweet-smelling scent grew stronger. He then realised this was where it came from. The incense created the smell within the room and around her being.

Stepping back, he turned towards the bed, noting it was… quite plain. He looked closely at the toys, all ranging from the routine teddy bear to more unique toys. One such unique toy was a grotesque-looking, cat-like thing. Picking it up, he examined it. The label on the toy read "Fruits Basket™: Special Edition True Form Kyou™®".

"True Form Kyou…?" said Jinn out loud. "… The hell?"

He put the toy down, shaking his head. The hybrid was indeed a strange girl. Moving on, he saw a door at the foot of the bed. Now, Jinn had seen a similar door in the other room, however, had not opened it. Now, however, out of sheer curiosity, he opened this door, his eyes witnessing colours of all sorts. He had found her closet.

_How much clothes can one person own?_ thought the Saiya-jin, walking into it and peering all around.

Personally, the only clothes Jinn had ever worn, or needed, were the clothes on his back. He looked through the wardrobe, curiosity driving him to do so. They were all assorted, ranging from simple designs, like the regular T-shirt and jeans, to more formal wear, such as the assorted dresses, oriental to ceremonial. After rummaging through her wardrobe, he exited, entering the sweet-scented atmosphere of the room. He looked about the room, his thoughts floating to the desk as a familiar brown colour caught his attention.

"Huh?"

Jinn walked closer to the desk, his eyes falling on the crude little bag from several days back. It sat near the photos, hiding cosily between a family portrait and a photograph of Gochi in the company of a young man with platinum hair. Jinn's hand extended towards the bag; ready to grab it from the desk when a voice broke through his exploration.

"Tadaima!" Jinn's eyes went wide as he realised that the hybrid was back home.

"Kuso…" he muttered through gritted teeth. His eyes darted around the place, but alas, the room was quite cosy and compact… no place to hide. At a last chance effort, Jinn dove into her wardrobe, closing it behind him just as Gochi entered the room. He hid amongst the dresses, the long flowing apparels hiding him from the sight of Gochi. Quietly, Jinn stood as still as he could, hearing the thoughts of Gochi as she entered her room.

"I wonder where Jinn-san is?" thought the hybrid out loud, closing the door behind her. She sighed, sitting on her bed and grabbing the toy Jinn had inspected. "Guess he's probably exploring the guest room… or in the bathroom…" Gochi snuggled the toy to her chest. "Well, guess it's just you and me, Kyou-kun." She giggled, putting the toy down and standing.

Before Jinn could comprehend what was happening, the hybrid was getting undressed, causing a pink flush to cross the Saiya-jin's cheeks.

_Kuso…_ he thought.

The door was wide enough to give him a peep show into what she was doing. His eyes darted to the right in order to keep him from looking but some things you just cannot control. Slowly, but surely, Jinn's eyes slid to the left, just in time to see Gochi slip on her pyjama pants. He swallowed hard and this time turned his whole head to the right. The sound of her footsteps coming closer made him panic. As if watching through a television, he saw the hybrid come into the walk-in wardrobe; place her clothes in a pile atop the cupboard within the place, rummage through a set of drawers and leave. The sound of the door closing in the front of the room caused Jinn to go into action, darting out of the wardrobe, out of the room, and into the guest room, where he stayed until Gochi came in to check on him. She smiled at him, hair wet, singlet top on, pyjama pants covering her waist down.

"Ready for dinner?"

* * *

**Disclaimer: **Just in case, I am placing a disclaimer to the different texts mentioned within this chapter.

Lord of the Rings © J.R.R. Tolkien

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror © Robert Louis Stevenson

Unseen © Paul Jennings

The Tragedy of King Lear © William Shakespeare "The Bard"

Fruits Basket © Natsuki Takaya/HAKUSENSHA, TV TOKYO, NAS, Fruba Project, Licensed by FUNinmation® Productions, Ltd.


	5. Chapter Four: Senzu Part Two

**The Unique Alliance**

**Disclaimer:** Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama, TOEI Animation, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA INC., FUNinmation.

**Disclaimer 2: **Jinn, Gochi, The Unique Alliance © Eileen Setiawan, H-san, Hina-chan (i.e. the author of the story)

**Disclaimer 3: **This story is only for recreational purposes. I do not intend to sell this to anyone/anything.

**PART 1: The Kindness of Strangers**

* * *

"**I'm not afraid of tomorrow…**

**I'm only scared of myself…**

**Feels like my insides are on fire…**

**And I'm looking through the eyes of someone else…"**

**Tomorrow – SR-71**

* * *

**CHAPTER FOUR – Senzu (Segment Two)**

That night, Jinn slept on the couch, like many other nights. Staring up at the ceiling, thoughts crossed his mind, slipping through the sieve that he put up everyday to protect himself from such thoughts. He stared out at the semi-open window, watching the stars and the crescent moonshine throughout the darkened sky. His eyes grew heavier as he continued pondering, the twinkling of the stars burning their brightness into his mind as his eyes finally closed shut from the weight of sleep that hung heavily upon them…

When he awoke, he was in a different land. A barren wasteland, bleak desolation plaguing what Jinn knew had been a flourished field of life. He looked about, panic building and growing as he realised where he was.

His mind raced to find a way out; he struggled to comprehend the fact that he was back in this land. This strange land of death and life, of destruction and pain; where battles between allies were always possible.

He tried to move, but found himself rooted to the spot. Glancing around, his eyes shifted left, his eyes shifted right. Then he saw them… they were arguing and among them he stood, helpless. Clips of what they said came to him, breaking through the invisible sound barrier that encapsulated him.

"I don't care… you did this… betrayed… all…" said one man, his face contorted in anger and his green eyes piercing sharply into the person he argued with. His tail swung ferociously from left to right, left to right, angrily swaying.

The woman he argued with fought back verbally; her face was not an expression of anger, but reasoning. Her russet hair blew in the wind that picked up as she tried to rationalise with the man.

"… Not my fault… had to… for us… brother…" she replied. Her eyes turned to him… a younger him as he watched his two comrades argue. As her eyes met his, the barrier split open, permitting all sounds through.

He heard the marching of enemy troops behind him, the hollow wind blow across the empty plains, and her voice: the melodic voice of the girl.

"You have to believe me, Jinn-kun!"

As her words registered into his head, the explosive sound of gunfire broke through, pain shooting up his spine and arm as they were ripped open from the alien ammo. He lurched forward, pain shooting up every limb, shock overwhelming his body as the noise faded away.

* * *

Gochi awoke from her sleep, her mouth dry and the incense burnt low. She stood up and walked towards the desk, looking down at a picture of her father before the Cell Games. His hair stood straight up and yellow, his eyes a piercing green. The expression on his face however was welcoming. She smiled at the picture then continued walking forward, heading towards the kitchen.

Reaching the kitchen, she got a glass of water, drinking its contents and feeling refreshed. She sighed inwardly, pondering thoughts as she sat at the counter of her kitchen. The sound of groaning and growling caused her to look towards the lounge room, startled. She then realised where it was coming from. Leaving her glass behind and standing, she inched towards the lounge, wondering what was wrong with him.

As she reached his presence, she realised. He was having a nightmare. Gently, she placed a hand on his arm and shook him, making sure she did not startle him too much. She knew what it was like to have nightmares. She had many of them during her lifetime.

* * *

Jinn lay on a platform, looking up at a starry night sky. Next to him, he could feel two hands on his good arm, holding firmly yet shaking ever so slightly. Her voice broke through, the voice of the girl. It sang out its apologies, ringing over and over in his head.

"Gomen-nasai Jinn-kun! I didn't mean for all this to happen. Gomen, gomen…"

He continued to stare up, shock overwhelming his body, fatigue settling over him, yet deep inside, a wrath waiting to be unleashed.

"Gomen Jinn-kun! Gomen… he's… gone."

The last word she said to him, the very last word, rang out, echoing over and over. Something shattered inside of him, the wrath escaping from the deep well buried within, and with all the energy he could muster, he lunged, letting out a war cry…

* * *

Gochi was growing concerned for the Saiya-jin. He held an expression of great pain, his head seeming as if he was trying to twist away from whatever demon was in his dream. Her efforts to awaken him proved in vain. Sitting back, Gochi gazed at him, thoughtful.

Not knowing what to do, Gochi repeated what she had previously performed. She placed two hands on his arms and gently shook. She had not received a reaction before but this time, his reaction was as fast as lightning. First, Gochi felt shock, than a growing sense of undeniable pain. Eyes wide, Gochi peered down…

* * *

As Jinn looked forward, his eyes lay upon the scene before him. The sight before him was impossible… indiscernible. Warm iron liquid seeped down his arm, dripping onto the sheets and coating them in red. Awake and aware of what he had done, Jinn removed his arm from Gochi's abdomen. Her eyes stared down at the puncture, wide with shock. Blood coated her pyjamas, the same liquid which covered Jinn's right arm. Jinn stared, horrified at what he had done.

As Gochi's eyes stared up at him, he could see the normally black hues turn grey as she lurched forward. Jinn's arms instinctively went out to catch her as she fell onto him. Eyes closed, Gochi's breath came in ragged gasps as she tried to keep inhaling through the blood that forced its way up her oesophagus and into her mouth. Panicking, Jinn held her, his mind racing for a solution. He stared down at her, feeling her blood pouring out onto the sheets and soaking through.

_Kuso…_ thought the Saiya-jin, placing the girl onto the bed as he stood. His arm and lower body was soaked in the girl's blood, and for some strange reason, he could somehow feel her life ebbing away. Panicking at that feeling, he raked at his head mentally, feeling his pulse race. _What the hell am I…?_

An epiphany crossed his mind.

The senzu beans.

Jinn's head snapped in the direction of the hall, remembering the satchel upon her desk in her bedroom. Taking action, he sprinted towards the room, swinging the door open, nearly breaking the doors off the hinges in the process, and ran towards the desk. He rummaged through, knocking down objects on the desk. His eyes finally settled on the satchel, sitting near the incense pot. Snatching it up, he knocked down the incense pot. Ignoring the mess, he turned, sprinted back towards the lounge and emptied the contents of the satchel onto his hand.

One bean.

_God, I hope this works… _Jinn grabbed the bean between his index finger and thumb, kneeling beside the girl, and pushing the bean into her mouth. He pushed his palm into her chin, coaxing her to chew. Slowly, Gochi chewed at the bean. She stopped momentarily, causing Jinn to panic during that interval. However, his heart settled as Gochi swallowed the bean. Jinn waited… and waited… and waited…

Nothing happened.

He could feel his pulse quickening.

Now what was he supposed to do?

As he fell back, on his knees, he closed his eyes, trying to clear his head. _What am I going to do? What am I going to do? What am I going to do…? _His thoughts echoed around his head. He could feel himself panicking, but tried to keep that feeling down.

"Ji…"

Jinn's eyes shot open as his head shot up. Looking down at him was Gochi, holding her head and looking bewildered, but healthy. He stared up at her, shock ridden. She was… alive? Gochi looked down at her shirt, staring in shock at the hole in her pyjamas. She placed a hand there, feeling the newly formed skin. She looked back towards Jinn and then down towards the satchel in his hand.

A warm smile crossed her face.

"You… saved me…"

Jinn blinked, confused yet relieved that he had not killed her. Hesitantly, he nodded. His eyes then went wide as Gochi stooped down, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Thankyou."

Jinn stared out, surprised. He could not remember the last time he had been embraced.

* * *

Several days later, Gochi trained on the roof of her apartment. Sweat dribbled down her face as she trained under the afternoon sun, the freedom and isolation of the roof an ideal place to perfect her technique. Close by, the hatch that led to the rooftop lay open, the whirring of the laundry machine audible below. Faintly, the sound of footsteps could be heard. Several moments later, Jinn's head peered through the hatch. He cocked a brow at the hybrid as she trained. For a few minutes, he took amusement in watching her perform a kata he had never seen.

"Where did you learn that?" asked Jinn after Gochi ended her kata.

Gochi stopped short, a bewildered look upon her face as she turned towards the hatch. She smiled at the Saiya-jin.

"My sensei, Piccolo-san," she answered, her hand trailing behind her head.

"Piccolo-san…?" Jinn had never heard of such a strange "Earth" name.

She smiled thoughtfully. "Un, Piccolo-san. He's my sensei. A Namekian."

_A Namekian?_ Jinn had heard of such a race, but they looked very… un-human-like. How did he ever fit in? Ignoring the questions, Jinn climbed out of the hatch, standing up and gazing at the hybrid.

"You're sensei was a Namekian?"

Gochi nodded.

"Hai. He trained me when I was four. How about you, Jinn-san? Who trained you?"

Jinn looked out to the city, the question bringing forth memories. He smothered them down. Preferring not to answer the question, he changed the subject.

"Don't… don't call me Jinn… san."

Gochi looked at him, perplexed.

"Na…"

"Don't call me Jinn-san." He said this with more force, turning to look at her.

She blinked, perplexed momentarily. Then, she smiled wryly.

"Then… how am I supposed to–?"

"I don't care… just don't call me _san_."

There was a moment of silence, where Gochi looked thoughtfully at the sky. Jinn looked to where she gazed, unsure of what to say.

"Jinn-kun." Gochi's voice broke the silence.

Jinn stared at her as she smiled.

"How about Jinn-kun?"

His amber eyes shifted to the side, as if pondering. Then, he nodded.

She laughed. "Jinn-kun it is!"


	6. Chapter Five: Comrades in arms

**The Unique Alliance**

**Disclaimer:** Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama, TOEI Animation, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA INC., FUNinmation.

**Disclaimer 2: **New characters, The Unique Alliance © Eileen Setiawan, H-san, Hina-chan (i.e. the author of the story)

**Disclaimer 3: **This story is only for recreational purposes. I do not intend to sell this to anyone/anything.

**PART 1: The Kindness of Strangers**

* * *

"**Hello my friend we meet again…**

**It's been a while, where should we begin?**

**Feels like forever…"**

**Creed – My Sacrifice**

* * *

**CHAPTER FIVE – Comrades in arms**

The morning pierced through the darkness of sleep, forcing Jinn's eyes open. Jinn groaned, sitting up and holding his head. He looked to the clock on the wall: 6:00 AM. Sighing, he lay back down, staring up at the white ceiling. How long had he been on Earth? Weeks… months… yet he still could not get his bearings. Earth was such a strange place to him. Everywhere he looked everything seemed… bizarre. The contraption called the television was so rudimentary, the gadget he heard the hybrid call a "note pad" was huge, and what was this thing called "White Day"?

With these thoughts, Jinn started to drift off to sleep once again… until an overwhelming power enveloped his senses. Jinn bolted up, the sense strange to him, but familiar. He had earlier felt Gochi's power fading so many weeks ago. He looked out the window, seeing nothing but the sun starting to rise in the far horizon. Tossing the blankets off him, he stood, rushing towards the window and peering out. He could feel it, but where was it? Where was this power? He could feel the cold glass against his palms as he pressed them to the window, trying to see but unable to perceive anything. His breath frosted the glass, appearing then disappearing, appearing then disappearing. Taking action, Jinn opened the window, feeling the humid and cold morning air against his half-naked body, the boxers given to him by the hybrid blowing slightly in the breeze. A noise behind him caused him to turn around. There was Gochi, in her pyjamas, looking slightly alarmed and very intense.

"Jinn-kun. You felt it too?"

Jinn gazed at her, giving a solemn nod.

* * *

A gloved hand curled around the rim of the Saiya-jin space pod. From the hand came a man, his face fixated into one of intensity. He stood, the morning air clinging to him and his breath coming out in a frosted smoke. His brown tail swayed lazily to and fro, then wrapped around its master's waist as if trying to hide from the cold. His muscular form revealed armour resembling that of a Saiya-jin, the coloured sections green instead of the common beige. About his right eye was a scouter, also coloured green, and upon it, readings beeped through. The man smirked.

"I found you Jinn-kun…"

* * *

Jinn and Gochi flew towards the direction of the power. Whoever it was, it did not even try concealing the power it had. To Jinn, the force felt all too familiar. It was not that he had felt it before, but it was proverbial, as if he knew this force. He glanced to Gochi, who seemed distant. She stared out at the horizon, distracted. Ignoring her aloofness, he glanced away, his eyes trying to find a trail of smoke or any indication of a disturbance in the distance. After all, when he had landed, there had been a riot.

Jinn then realised this case was fairly different as he saw the greenery come into view. The… thing… had landed in the country. Somewhere in the country…

* * *

The stranger looked at his pod, viscous jelly surrounding the substructure. He walked to the pod, shutting the pod door and lifting it with one arm. Lifting his free hand to the scouter, he pushed the button on the side of it. It beeped once again, analysing the forces of the Earth.

_Gravity: 1_

_Population: 6 894 098 834 098_

_Average power readings: 25_

He scowled, the power reading he had felt now gone. He turned his head, and suddenly, the scouter came to life…

_Unnatural power reading…_

_Scanning life forms…_

An arrow appeared on screen, honing in on the direction of the reading. The Saiya-jin cocked a brow, a smirk appearing on his face. The smirk turned to a look of surprise as he realised something else…

_Two life forms identified._

_One power identified._

_One power unidentified._

_Power reading: 1000_

_Power reading: 1500_

"Jinn-kun…" mumbled the Saiya-jin, clicking the button once again. "What _are _you hiding?" The Saiya-jin pulled his arm back, the one holding the pod, and threw it in the direction of the power readings. As he saw the pod disappear in the distance, the Saiya-jin rose off the floor, flying in the same direction.

* * *

Jinn stopped, but not before Gochi had. He looked to the hybrid, wondering why she had stopped so suddenly. Looking at her face, he saw that it was fixated with a mixture of emotions: fear, shock, and intensity. He looked out to the direction she stared, a strong burning sensation engulfing his sixth sense. What was it? It seemed so familiar… this burning sensation…

It then dawned on him. This power, this familiarity… he had never felt it before, but he knew this person so much that…

_It can't be… _Jinn's eyes lowered, and he flew further forward.

Gochi's eyes opened wide as he flew by, her hair wavering from the power.

"Jinn-kun! Wait!" called out Gochi.

Jinn chose to ignore the hybrid. He needed to know what this power was. He needed to find out. It could not be him… it was impossible… As Jinn flew forward, another force came in the opposite direction. A large, white, spherical…

Jinn's eyes went wide as the object grew closer… and closer… and closer…

And right past him.

_The Hell was –?_ His thought was interrupted as something collided into him from behind, causing Jinn to tumble downwards into the forest below.

* * *

Gochi flew forward slowly, calling out Jinn's name. The morning air clawed at her skin, forcing goose bumps from the creamy flesh. She embraced herself, wondering where it all went wrong. She was cold, and not just that, but there was a dark power looming somewhere nearby. A startled cry escaped her lips as she saw a spherical object zoom past.

_Was that a…? _A confused look crossed Gochi's face as she stood in the sky, looking awkward and slightly comedic. Her confused expression then turned to one of comedic distress as she whimpered.

"What's going on?" she asked herself.

A crash from below caused her to gasp, extracting her from her current state. Her eyes lowered as she looked to the forest canopy below, seeing the disturbance in the tops of the trees. Instinctively, the first thing she thought of was that power and its weird connection with Jinn.

"What are you hiding Jinn-kun?"

* * *

Jinn's face was flat in the dirt, a heavy weight on his back. His hands gripped the dirt… then a voice interrupted his frustration. He lifted his head slightly off the dirt, eyes wide.

"JINN-KUN! I can't believe it's you! What the Hell are you wearing? I've been looking for you everywhere! Do you know how hard it was to find you! My God, here I was thinking you were in Rhetorik, but Earth! Of all planets, EARTH!"

Jinn heaved himself up, pushing whatever was on him off. There was a grunt as the person went tumbling backwards.

"Hey, what was that for?" asked the voice, all too familiar for Jinn's liking.

Jinn slowly turned to the voice, coming face-to-face with a man. The man's hair speared up, his slight widow's peak giving his facial structure a heart-shaped appearance. In his hair, debris from the fall lay higgledy-piggledy about. He wore a smile, his green eyes glancing amiably at Jinn. His hair was black, yet as he shifted his seating position into Indian style, the sun reflected off his hair, giving it a green tint. The man reached up to his scouter, turning off the incessant beeping which had started due to the heavy landing. He shook the debris from his hair, his smile disappearing at the expression on Jinn's face.

"Come on Jinn-kun. It looks like you've seen a Celestian."

This statement was quite true.

Jinn stared, most of the colour drained from his face. His eyes were wide with shock, his posture rigid.

"You can't be…"

The man stared, confused.

"Well, of course it is. Who else could it be?"

Jinn stared again, his mouth slightly open. He then spoke, a name that he thought he would never speak again.

* * *

Gochi searched about the area where the spherical object had landed. Her eyes went wide at the Saiya-jin pod. She inspected the pod, crouching down near the base at the visible jelly that covered it. Her hand went out, smearing the jelly between her index finger and thumb. It was soft and spongy.

_What is this?_ Gochi lifted the jelly to her nose, a sterile, antiseptic smell overwhelming her senses. She grimaced at the smell, her hand jerking out. She would ask Bulma about this jelly later. Standing, Gochi placed a palm on the pod, her eyes narrowing. She could feel the metallic surface on her palm: cold and sterile like the jelly. She had a bad feeling. What this feeling was, she did not know. But… it was a bad feeling. Turning, Gochi started floating into the air, flying in the direction of the tree canopy. She was going to get to the source of this, but not before mentally lodging the location of the pod in her mind.

* * *

The Saiya-jin grinned.

"Yup – in the flesh!"

Jinn's eyes narrowed as he shifted into a defensive stance despite his position on the ground. The Saiya-jin pouted.

"C'mon Jinn-kun! It's me!" whined the other Saiya-jin.

"How can it be you!"

The sudden outcry caused the green-eyed Saiya-jin to fall back in shock, eyes slightly widened.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Me! I… I'm not the… Don't you even _remember_!"

"What? Remember what?"

Jinn stared in disbelief. The other Saiya-jin merely stared back at him, puzzled with eyebrow cocked. Jinn opened his mouth to speak, closing it again.

"It's… nothing."

The Saiya-jin looked to Jinn.

"Jinn-kun… what's…?"

A sudden beeping startled both men. The man's scouter was beeping frenetically.

"What the…?" He pushed the scouter button, readings coming across.

_Unnatural power reading…_

_Scanning life forms…_

_One life form identified…_

_Power unidentified…_

_Power reading: 1500_

"Power level of 1500. It's the same power that was with you…" The Saiya-jin turned to Jinn, whom was now gazing at the floor. "Do you know this person?"

Jinn looked at the Saiya-jin, and then suddenly turned his gaze to the side. The Saiya-jin followed his gaze, coming face-to-face with a girl. She stared at the two, her face grave. The man's gaze turned to Jinn.

"Jinn-kun, what's going on?" he asked.

Behind him, Gochi nodded.

"Un Jinn-kun…"

The Saiya-jin looked to Gochi.

"… What's going on?"

* * *

The man stared at the girl, his head tilting slightly to one side. His scouter beeped, resting at the power emanating from the girl.

_Power reading: 1500_

"Who are you?" asked the Saiya-jin.

"I should ask you the same thing," replied the hybrid. She looked tense, her hands slightly clenched in preparation for offence. She could feel the power emanating from this man. He did not look evil… but she always knew that, despite the outward appearance of an individual, an antagonist would forever remain an antagonist. This man's power was dark… foreboding… almost primal.

He gazed at her, his brow cocked slightly in confused amusement. Slowly, the puzzled look on his face turned to a warm smile. Gochi was taken by surprise as the man strode forward, took Gochi's hand, and bowed slightly.

"Sorry to offend you so much…"

Gochi gazed at the man, her defences down as he lifted her hand to his mouth.

"… But I am not very accustomed to the Earthling ways."

A distinct red flush appeared on Gochi's face as Tarrec kissed the back of Gochi's hand. She stared in utter amazement at the uncharacteristic nature of this Saiya-jin. He seemed so… gentle.

_But… his power… is so…_

Gochi's warrior-like nature sprung into action as she pulled her hand away from his grip. He merely stood erect once again, smiling amiably.

"A bit too much, ne?" he said, his hand opening out towards her.

She looked at his hand, and then at him, and then at Jinn, who by this time was staring sceptically at the scene before him.

"What's going on Jinn-kun?" asked the hybrid, now more confused than scared.

The dark power still loomed within the air, but it seemed to fade more and more as the Saiya-jin continued his antics. Jinn sighed, looking at the Saiya-jin, who turned to him and smiled, and then at the hybrid, who was staring at the amber-eyed Saiya-jin with an expression that portrayed her inward bewilderment.

"He's… someone I know…" began Jinn.

At this, Gochi's eyes went wide. They shifted to the green-eyed Saiya-jin, who again smiled amiably.

"Hai. We knew each other since Jinn-kun was five years old."

"Jinn-kun… and you…"

The Saiya-jin chuckled, his hand going forward in a manner of welcome.

"Name's Tarrec. Tohma Tarrec."


	7. Chapter Six: The Mystery Behind Area 812

**The Unique Alliance**

**Disclaimer:** Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama, TOEI Animation, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA INC., FUNinmation.

**Disclaimer 2: **New characters, The Unique Alliance © Eileen Setiawan, H-san, Hina-chan (i.e. the author of the story)

**Disclaimer 3: **This story is only for recreational purposes. I do not intend to sell this to anyone/anything.

**PART 1: The Kindness of Strangers**

* * *

"**Hey mom, there's something in the backroom **

**Hope it's not the creatures from above **

**You used to read me stories **

**As if my dreams were boring **

**We all know conspiracies are dumb…" **

**Blink 182 – Aliens Exist**

* * *

**CHAPTER SIX – The Mystery Behind Area 812**

The three sat down in the forest clearing, Gochi clearly confused. The dark power had all but faded the more confused she seemed to get, until there was nothing more than the perplexity that plagued her mind.

"Jinn-kun…? Are you serious?" asked Gochi.

Jinn seemed to hesitate as he looked to Tarrec, but eventually nodded. Gochi's shoulders slumped, now even more confused than she already was. Overhead, the sun indicated that it was late morning, about 11 AM. Those who occupied the area seemed oblivious to the arrival of yet another alien to their small planet.

Meanwhile, the alien sat to the right, perpendicular to Gochi. He smiled at her; almost apologetic for putting her in the situation she was in.

"Gomenasai, Gochi-san," said he, a hand absently trailing to his neck. He had learnt of her name during the interval of time that Gochi spent fretting over the situation. "But I didn't know my coming here would be that bad." He rubbed his neck as he stated this, the action reminding Gochi of the typical Son way.

"Tohma–"

"Call me Tarrec."

"Tarrec, you don't have to apologise… You didn't hurt anyone when you landed here. In fact… I couldn't see a crater at all…"

The strange Saiya-jin laughed.

"Hai, that's 'cause I've been using a new invention created for the space pods. Just before impact, approximately 10.65 metres from the surface, a gel-like substance is emitted around the point of contact, normally the base but you can't tell with those spherical things. Anyway, this gel softens the landing, absorbing approximately 64 of the total force normally felt when a space pod lands. Because of this gel, there is no damage to the earth, nor is there any rattling of brains and such. I've had my brains rattled so many times, it's not funny."

Gochi stared in shock.

"But… how did you… and the ship…"

Tarrec laughed, his hand instinctively reaching out to pat the girl on the head.

"Oh, well, that's a secret!" he replied, his hand thumping Gochi's head as she stared, her eyes now mere dots set into her face. "But! There are flaws with that thing," he continued.

Gochi blinked, staring.

"But, it sounds so ingenious."

"Hai… it does, but because the pod is spherical, and the gel stops it from cementing _into_ the ground, the pod likes to roll a few revolutions before resting. It's especially bad when it comes to mountainous terrain. Bad luck for me, ne? Landing in this place."

Jinn smirked as an image of a tumbling Tarrec crossed his mind, rolling continually down a hill. A hard slap to his bicep took him abruptly from his musings and into the stare of an annoyed Tarrec.

"Urusei!" yelled Tarrec.

"I didn't say anything!"

"But you were gonna!"

Jinn glared at Tarrec, Tarrec glared at Jinn. Jinn turned away, and Tarrec stuck his tongue out. Gochi watched in stunned amusement. They reminded her of people she knew. She could not quite remember whom though. As she gathered her thoughts, Tarrec spoke out, inquiring the whereabouts of his ship.

"Why, pray tell, are you asking her?" asked Jinn.

Gochi blinked, thinking the same thing.

"Well…" began Tarrec. "If I remember correctly, Gochi-san stated that she "didn't see a crater at all", which could only mean she was at my initial landing location (which I highly doubt because we're a kilometre or so away from it), or she has seen the location my ship landed when I threw it in this general direction. So… where is it?"

Gochi blinked absently.

"Ano…" she began. She looked up, and then to the right. "There… in the Dead Zone…"

"GREAT!" said Tarrec cheerfully. His facial features then slumped. "Dead Zone?"

Gochi laughed nervously.

"H – hai… You see, your pod landed in Area 812. Isolated. Highly isolated. No one ever goes there. I think your pod was the first thing, living or not, that's entered that area and shed some light on the forest floor."

Tarrec stared incredulous.

"I can still get it… right?" asked the Saiya-jin.

Gochi nodded.

"Hai, as I said, it's the Dead Zone. The most that would happen to your pod would be the debris from the crash and maybe some insects."

Tarrec smiled.

"Great, well, let's get going!" Tarrec stood up, stretching and starting to float.

"Matte!" yelled Gochi, lunging out and grabbing the man's ankle.

With a crash, Tarrec plummeted back on the ground, face in the dirt as Jinn has previously been. Jinn cringed, standing up.

"Go – gomenasai…" muttered Gochi, smiling apologetically.

"I… iie… I'm fine…"

* * *

The trio walked through the forest, looking very strange indeed. Jinn was still dressed in his boxers from the morning, Gochi still wore her pyjamas, and Tarrec wore the Saiya-jin armour. Tarrec wore a confused and slightly peeved expression at having to walk through the forest despite all their abilities to fly. Gochi held a distracted expression, laughing nervously every time Tarrec gave her a sidelong, half pleading gaze. Meanwhile, Jinn remained indifferent, eyes closed and arms crossed as he walked with the other two.

"Why couldn't we have just flown?" asked Tarrec as they walked through the forest to reach the pod.

"Because there's some people on this planet who can sense power… and it's best not to… ano… avert their attention."

"You mean, you have scouters on this planet?" asked Tarrec.

"Ano… not really…"

"There are people who have a sixth sense on this planet… it seems they've been able to evolve because they don't have the technology Saiya-jins do," explained Jinn.

Gochi laughed nervously, whilst Tarrec looked incredulous once again.

"Are you serious? WOW! I'd love to do that!"

Jinn rolled his eyes.

"You already know someone who can," he stated.

Tarrec looked at his best friend, confused.

"Really?"

"Un…"

"Who?"

A vein of annoyance appeared at the back of Jinn's head.

"Who… cares…"

Gochi looked at the two, sensing uneasiness within Jinn. Was it because of that dark power in his best friend… or was it something else? Gochi looked forward, pondering, her eyes then spotting the familiar broken trees and fallen debris. A smile crossed her face.

"We're here!" she called out.

Tarrec and Jinn's heads snapped up, seeing the hybrid running forward. Tarrec broke out into a run, sprinting towards where his ship lay. Jinn sighed, also running forward. Tarrec broke out into a grin. His ship was there, just beyond those trees. As Tarrec pushed the branches out of the way, bright morning light broke through the dark forest floor. He blinked rapidly, and as his vision cleared, he saw…

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing but Gochi, whom stood in the clearing looking dumbstruck.

Jinn came behind, smirking at the priceless expression on Tarrec's face.

"Hn, no ship, ne?" said Jinn.

Tarrec walked out into the clearing, standing next to Gochi. He saw the gel on the floor. His ship _was_ here.

"Where is it?" he heard Gochi say. "I was so sure it was here…"

"It was…" began Tarrec.

"Probably got taken away," suggested Jinn, who stood in the outer rim of the clearing, leaning against a tree.

"But how? This place is isolated…" stated Gochi.

Jinn cleared his throat, causing both to turn to him. He then jerked his head to the right. Sure enough, the forest seemed to have been disrupted in that direction. The other two looked on, Gochi highly confused.

"But… who would want… I mean… unless an animal…"

"My ship… got dragged away… by an animal…?" asked Tarrec.

_Wow… Earth is weirder than I thought…_ thought Tarrec as he questioned Gochi.

"But… but… what would an animal want with a ship?" asked Gochi, scratching her head.

Jinn sighed.

"Stop assuming." Jinn walked right, in the direction he had motioned.

The other two looked to one another, blinked, and then followed the other Saiya-jin.

* * *

Jinn walked ahead, the other two following behind. As they got deeper into the forest, the two pureblooded Saiya-jins realised how dark and dismal the place was.

"It's not wonder they call this place the Dead Zone…" remarked Tarrec, grabbing a branch and snapping it away from his path.

Gochi laughed nervously next to him. She had never been this deep into the forest. It seemed eerier than she thought. Jinn stopped in his tracks, the other two stopping behind him.

"Ne, Jinn-kun?" asked Tarrec, circling around him to see what Jinn was seeing.

Ahead of them were a row of trees, a dead end, no more tracks, and absolutely no sign of the space pod.

"Nan!" yelled Tarrec, getting very frustrated. "Where's my ship!"

Jinn looked slightly suspicious, wondering the same thing that was o his best friend's mind.

"Maybe… it's…" began Gochi, stopping when she realised herself that she did not know where the space pod was.

Tarrec grew frustrated, launching into a blasphemous rant that was equivalent to Jinn. Meanwhile, Gochi stared at the other Saiya-jin laughing nervously. Both were oblivious to Jinn, who was now crouching down, his hand pressed against the ground. He moved his hand right to left in a brushing motion, revealing metal under the ground. His brows went up in surprise.

"… The Hell…?" he mumbled.

Tarrec stopped mid-rant, turning to his best friend.

"Huh?"

Gochi also looked down, wondering what had caught Jinn's attention. Jinn looked to the other two, revealing the metallic plating beneath the surface. Gochi's eyes grew wide, confused and surprised.

"Was that always there?" asked Jinn.

Gochi shrugged.

"I've never been this far… and… I thought that there was no human life…"

"Well… it seems this forest is hiding something," said Tarrec, staring blankly down. Then, a smirk crossed his face. "Well, we're not getting any younger!"

Gochi opened her mouth to question what the Saiya-jin meant, but abruptly stopped, her eyes now two mere dots set into her head as Tarrec punched a gaping hole in the metal, breaking it in half as if were a piece of cardboard.

Standing from his crouched position, Jinn sighed, watching Tarrec dust off his hands. Tarrec turned to Gochi, giving her an amiable smile.

"I'll be right back!" he declared, jumping into the hole and disappearing from sight as Gochi stood rooted to the spot, the expression still upon her face.

Jinn sighed, grabbing her arm and dragging her to a nearby fallen log. He grabbed her shoulder firmly, but gently, and sat her down.

"Tarrec's a do-it-yourself kind of guy, ne?" asked Gochi, blinking at the huge hole in the ground.

Jinn sighed, once again, and nodded slowly, as if exhausted with today's incidents. "Un…"


	8. Chapter Seven: A Sinister State of Mind

**The Unique Alliance**

**Disclaimer:** Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama, TOEI Animation, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA INC., FUNinmation.

**Disclaimer 2: **New characters, The Unique Alliance © Eileen Setiawan, H-san, Hina-chan (i.e. the author of the story)

**Disclaimer 3: **This story is only for recreational purposes. I do not intend to sell this to anyone/anything.

**PART 1: The Kindness of Strangers**

* * *

"**It's like I'm, paranoid, looking over my back,**

**It's like a, whirlwind inside of my head,**

**It's like I, can't stop what I'm feeling within,**

**It's like a face inside that's right, beneath my skin."**

**Papercut – Linkin Park**

* * *

**CHAPTER 7 – A Sinister State of Mind**

A slight thud resounded throughout the sterile passage ways as Tarrec landed upon the ground. He observed the surrounding with a cocked brow, amused with the eccentricities of the human race. As he looked up, he mused, wondering how they had made such a place under the environment.

_Surely,_ thought Tarrec. _Their construction would pollute the forest._ He pondered over this, realising that the forest must indeed be polluted due to the substantial derelict state of the forest above.

Shrugging, he walked within the passageways, wondering where a ship would be contained. He saw a doorway, and not knowing what else to do, walked into it.

* * *

"Do you think he's okay?" asked Gochi, hugging her knees to her chest as she sat on the log.

Jinn grunted, standing and looking up at the forest canopy. "I'm more worried about whatever's down there," replied he, crossing his arms and looking down at her.

She looked thoughtful, resting her head on her knees. "How long… have you two known… one another…?" she asked.

Jinn's expression looked resigned at this question. "A long time," he answered simply.

A silence settled over the both of them, followed by Gochi's giggle.

"I'm going to have to make a big breakfast when this is done."

Jinn looked down at her, seeing her now clutching her stomach. A second later, his stomach yelled the selfsame protests. He sighed, leaning upon a tree as Gochi laughed.

* * *

Tarrec grew frustrated; looking at the map he had "borrowed" from an employee at this complex.

"Doesn't look like any map I've ever seen…" he grumbled, a vein of annoyance protruding from his forehead. "I should've just gotten the information first hand…"

Tarrec scratched his head, looked at the map, scratched his head again, and screamed in frustration. Crushing the map in his hands, he threw it over his shoulder, lifted his hand, and blasted a hole in the wall. His eyes widened as he came face-to-face with a series of monitors, several ruined but one emitting a signal. His mouth twisted in curiosity as he looked to the monitor, eyes growing slightly wider at the sight of his ship. There was no mistaking the jelly.

He looked to the corner of the screen, the location reading G13. He cocked his eye in scepticism.

"How am I supposed to know where G13 is?"

As he stood there, pondering, there was a scurrying of feet behind him. Tarrec turned, his expression reflecting slight surprise. He grinned at the sight of humans toting guns.

"Yo, I don't think you could help me, ne?" he asked, walking forward.

"GET BACK!" yelled a man in the front. He squeezed the trigger on his gun, the bullet flying towards Tarrec.

In an action only known in the Matrix films, Tarrec dodged the bullets and caught one. Holding the shell between his forefinger and thumb, Tarrec cocked a brow.

"These are tiny! How do you expect to protect yourself with this?" he asked, scepticism riddling his face. He dropped the shell, much to the incredulity of the men before him, and continued walking towards them.

"Now," he began, hands out as if in sincerity. "Can you tell me where G13 is?"

The men stared, fear paralysing them. Slowly, they all lifted shaky limbs to the right.

"Down there… to the right, turn left… you can't miss it," they all said in unison.

"Arigatou," he said, bowing and walking in that direction.

They all nodded, watching the Saiya-jin leave, their expressions one of horror at the appearance of a tail on the man's backside.

* * *

"YO!" said Tarrec, a grin on his face as he entered section G13.

The employees stared, dubious at the appearance of this man. He did not look like a scientist, he was not wearing the typical uniform of a guard, and he carried himself with an air of finality.

Tarrec stopped in the middle of the room, scratching his ear. "So," he began, looking at his fingers. He looked up, a sincere smile on his face that made the female employees flutter. "Where's my ship?"

"EXCUSE ME SIR!" said a man of mid-thirties, the head of sector G13 and one of the youngest in history to lead the team. "BUT YOU ARE TRESPASSING IN GOVERNMENT PROPERTY!" he ended, walking right up to Tarrec and in his face, almost nose-to-nose.

Tarrec grinned, patting the guy on the back.

"Don't worry bub. I won't ruin anything. I just want my ship back." With that, Tarrec gave a smart smack on the back, sending the man flying at the sound of a thwap. Tarrec grimaced as the man crashed into a wall, blood pouring from his nose and his glasses askew.

"Gomen!" yelled Tarrec, rubbing the back of his head.

The man immediately got himself up, his glasses still askew, but a look of anger on his usually arrogant face.

"YOUR SHIP?" he yelled.

Tarrec put a finger in his ear, cringing.

"Hey, d'you hafta –"

"THIS IS NOT YOUR SHIP! WE FOUND THIS SHIP! THE SHIP COULD NOT POSSIBLY BELONG TO YOU!"

Tarrec stared at the man, his face slowly darkening. People from behind the Saiya-jin backed away as his tail lashed back and forth, an appendage that their leader had missed.

"YOU ARE TRESPASSING! NOW **GET OUT BEFORE I CALL THE AUTHORIT – **"

The leader did not have a chance to end his sentence as Tarrec grabbed the man's neck, lifting him clear off the floor so that only his toes touched the ground.

"Do you have to yell…?" said Tarrec, his voice low and dangerous. He growled, baring his teeth.

The man's eyes grew wide at something biologically impossible: extra long canine teeth… fangs… and… a tail? Tarrec looked up at the man, his eyes narrowed to portray someone with deadly intentions. There was a gleam of bloodlust behind the neutral green.

"Uru…" began Tarrec, the arm holding the man going back. "SEI!" he ended, throwing the man far across the room.

A loud gasp resonated around the room, followed by a crash. As the crash settled, the room went deathly quiet.

"My ship," came the deadly intonations of the transformed Tarrec.

A woman hastily pressed a button, a dome opening and revealing two ships. The Saiya-jin's mouth twisted into a smirk as he walked towards the two ships. He stopped at the woman who opened the dome, turned his head towards her, and for a fleeting moment, the normal Tarrec's smile beamed out at her. A visible flush crossed her cheeks as Tarrec continued walking and disappeared into the opaque dome.

* * *

"What do you think he's doing now?" asked Gochi, looking up at Jinn.

Jinn looked down at the hybrid. "Who knows," he answered, his expression indifferent. "Probably wreaking – "

BOOM!

Jinn's eyes went wide, snapping his head towards the direction of the sound. Gochi did likewise, standing up. As soon as she stood, there was a shockwave from the explosion, blowing outwards and through the forest. The trees shook violently from the surge, causing Gochi and Jinn to look up as branches and leaves showered upon them. Soon after, Gochi felt herself being pushed by an invisible force. Her whole body was pressed backwards and she felt her legs nearly give way under her. However, an arm grabbed hers and pulled her down. Before she knew it, she was on the ground, Jinn's hand on her back as if to keep her down.

"Baka," he said, his expression annoyed.

Gochi turned her head to look at him.

"What do you mean?" said Gochi over the howling wind.

"Tarrec," answered Jinn, one eye forced shut from the dust that billowed in their faces. "My hunch was right. He's wreaking havoc, that konoyaro."

Gochi gazed at Jinn, blinking obliviously.

"I don't get it," she called out. "What do you mean he's… wreaking havoc…?" Gochi's voice died down as the wind did, and she lifted her head, seeing a figure walk out from the darkness.

As the figure became visible, Gochi's eyes widened in surprise. There, stood Tarrec, a wide smirk on his face that would make Vegeta proud. As his eyes lay upon Jinn, his smirk grew bigger.

"Jinn-kun," said Tarrec, Gochi noticing something more sinister in his voice. "Long time, no see…"

Jinn stood up, rubbing dirt from his cheek as he stared at the other Saiya-jin.

"Kordal…" said Jinn.


	9. Chapter Eight: A Long Morning

**The Unique Alliance**

**Disclaimer:** Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama, TOEI Animation, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA INC., FUNinmation.

**Disclaimer 2: **New characters, The Unique Alliance © Eileen Setiawan, H-san, Hina-chan (i.e. the author of the story)

**Disclaimer 3: **This story is only for recreational purposes. I do not intend to sell this to anyone/anything.

**PART 1: The Kindness of Strangers**

* * *

"**So many thoughts to share**

**All this energy to give**

**Unlike those who hide the truth I tell it like it is**

**If the truth will set you free**

**I feel sorry for your soul**

**Can't you hear the ringing 'cause for you the bell tolls…"**

**Creed – Freedom Fighter**

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHT – A Long Morning**

"Se-e?" exclaimed Gochi, blinking dumbly at the scene unfolding before her. "Jinn-kun, what's…?"

"Kordal… what do you want?" asked Jinn.

"Aww, can't a man have some fun?" replied Kordal, giving a shrug.

"Fun? You blew a hole in the Earth! That's not fun, that's vandalism!"

_Vandalism…? _thought Gochi.

"Aw, you're such a wet blanket. C'mon, it's just a little fun!"

Jinn scoffed, turning away.

"Just hurry up and bring back Tarrec. I've got no time for this garbage," said Jinn, walking past Gochi and away.

Gochi stood solemnly between them, looking from one Saiya-jin to another. She turned to Tarrec, or who she believed was Tarrec, her expression turning curious yet humorously fearful at the expression on his face.

"Tarrec-sa – " started Gochi, but before she could end her sentence there was a billow of wind as Tarrec rushed forward. Gochi's long hair went fluttering up behind her, and she snapped her head in the direction of Jinn as she heard him yell in pain. Her hands went instinctively over her mouth as she gasped, seeing Tarrec with his elbow in Jinn's back, and Jinn doubled over, bending backwards.

As if in slow motion, Jinn fell onto his knees and then his hands, teeth clenched.

"Jinn-kun, are you o – " started Gochi, again interrupted by Tarrec.

"Don't you _dare_ walk away from me!" yelled Tarrec, standing up straight and glaring down at the subdued Jinn. "Are you scared to fight me? Is that it? IS THAT IT!"

Jinn, his teeth clenched, dug his fingers into the dirt.

"Kono!" he yelled, immediately standing up and delivering a perfect roundhouse kick to Tarrec's temple.

Tarrec blocked it, raising his left arm, and with his right, pushed it out of the way. As Jinn's legs went down, he positioned it on the ground and used the momentum from retracting it to jump up, kicking with his other leg and sending Tarrec sprawling to the side. There, he remained motionless. Jinn wiped the side of his mouth and turned to Gochi, who looked both confused and concerned.

"That's not Tarrec," he said simply, walking over to the fallen man.

"Who is he?"

"His alter ego," replied Jinn, now crouching down to inspect his best friend.

"Alter ego?"

Jinn nodded, bending down lower. However, before he could pick up the fallen Saiya-jin, Jinn went sprawling back, holding his nose. Tarrec sat up, shaking the leaves from him.

"Please," he said to Gochi, giving her a deadly, yet alluring, smirk. "Call me Kordal." With that, he stood up, dusting himself off.

Jinn stood up also, still holding his nose.

"C'mon Jinn-chan. Don't tell me you're giving up."

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!" yelled the other Saiya-jin, his fists at his sides.

"No effort whatsoever. Earth has made you soft."

Jinn grit his teeth, gob smacked with the words coming out of his mouth. He was getting sick and tired of this.

"You want a fight?" asked Jinn, his connotations low and deadly.

Gochi looked between the two, her head darting from one Saiya-jin to the other. Kordal merely crouched down lower, assuming a stance that Gochi had never seen before.

"Let's fight," said Jinn.

Gochi did not like this one bit. She stepped towards Jinn to stop him, however, before she could reach him, Jinn had gone shooting past her. Gochi's head snapped in the direction of where he rushed to, seeing no one there. Confused, Gochi looked from left to right, multiple droplets of sweat pouring down her head.

"Oh great," she said, flying up as she felt two powers in the air. As she reached there, she screeched in panic.

In the air, both Saiya-jins duelled it out. Kordal had a huge grin on his face as he locked hands with Jinn. Jinn remained emotionless, glaring at this stranger, this alter ego.

_I have to do something,_ thought Gochi, looking around for an answer to her problem. Alas, all she could do was merely stare at the battle ensuing, slightly awestruck by how they fought.

As Jinn and Kordal faced one another, their hands locked and pushing against one another, Kordal began talking.

"My, my Jinn-chan. You're fighting has gotten better, hasn't it? Been training on Earth."

"Hardly," answered Jinn. "I've been trying to heal."

With that, Jinn swung his body backwards, and with that force, head butted Kordal in the head. Kordal went tumbling backwards. At this moment, Jinn went shooting forward, phasing out from his previous location and reappearing above Kordal. He raised his fists above his head, clasped them together, and hit them down with tremendous force. Kordal, winded, went soaring to the forest below. The trees swayed in his wake. Jinn stood placidly, watching for several minutes. After a while, he turned his head to Gochi, who stood in the air, looking solemnly at him.

Gochi opened her mouth to say something, however, a choked cry was all that came out as Kordal appeared behind her and wrapped an arm around her throat.

"Kordal! What the hell are you doing!" yelled Jinn.

"Leverage," he replied simply.

Meanwhile, Gochi grabbed his arm, trying to pry it off.

"C'mon Jinn-chan. Now, fight me."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I'll be gentle."

Jinn growled. He hated it when this happened. He had forgotten how insane Tarrec's alter ego was.

"Fine," said Kordal, after a long silence from Jinn. "Me first."

Kordal let go of Gochi for several moments. As Gochi realised her freedom, she was then grabbed again, as Kordal seized the back of her pyjamas and threw her forwards. Normally, Gochi could stop herself, but at that moment, she was much too stunned to do anything otherwise. As she careened forward, she heard Jinn yell something, then a few seconds later, he had grabbed her. Gochi blinked dumbly, unaware of her position, Jinn's arms around her, her head on his chest. She then became aware of the conversation.

"Are you friggen insane?" yelled Jinn.

"Whaddya mean? Isn't she a hybrid? That's what you said, right?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't give you the right to throw people around!"

"Well, you look comfortable hugging her!"

There was silence as Jinn let her go. Gochi lifted herself up with her power, still confused and looking between the two. Kordal smirked. Jinn was looking away.

"Fine, fine," began Kordal. "I'll go. I've had my fun." Kordal closed his eyes and a minute later, Tarrec was looking at the both of them, looking slightly confused.

"I'm exhausted," he said, holding his head.

"You're exhausted?" asked Jinn, turning his head to glare at Tarrec. "Try to control Kordal next time then!" he added, yelling at his best friend.

Tarrec smiled wearily. "So, where's my ship?"

There was a silence within the air, and then suddenly, Jinn and Gochi tripped over, legs in the air and twitching as Tarrec laughed nervously at them.

* * *

Meanwhile, Gohan, who had been busy catching up on study, looked up and around, feeling two unfamiliar powers. He then felt another one. A very familiar one.

"Gochi!" he said, standing up and knocking down his chair. He rushed towards the door, however, before he could reach it…

"And where are _you_ going?" asked Chichi.

Gohan stopped and turned around. Chichi stared at him sceptically.

"Kaa-san. It's Gochi, I think she's…"

"Gochi's fine honey. She's on summer break, remember? She's probably at home studying, like what you should be doing."

Gohan opened his mouth.

"No more words. I'll let you have a break in a moment or so. Right now, you've got to finish your mathematics."

"Bu… I… kaa-san…"

"Now, Gohan. Plus I need you to help take care of Goten."

That was it. That was the trump card.

"Hai, kaa-san," he said, walking sullenly back to his room. As he did, he realised what one of the other powers was. It was Jinn.

* * *

Gochi sighed, flying over the country with the two Saiya-jins in suit. She scoured the area with her eyes, seeing if she could find any trace of Tarrec's ship.

"THERE!" came Tarrec's excited cry as he pointed down.

Gochi looked down, an expression of awkwardness crossing her face as she saw a white airship with the Capsule Corporation insignia on the side of it. Gochi broke out into a cold sweat as she saw a blue-haired woman inspecting the ship, with an annoyed-looking raven-haired man beside her, arms crossed. Her anxiety rose to new heights as Tarrec zoomed past her, eager to get to his ship.

"Tarrec-sa…"

"Forget it, he's gone," said Jinn dismissively, flying down to the location.

Gochi let out a small sob as she followed Jinn down.

"Thankyou for looking after my ship but I can take it from here!" stated Tarrec as she walked over to Bulma.

Bulma turned around suddenly, and before Tarrec could grab a hold of his ship, he was in a stranglehold between a tree and a raven-haired man with gravitationally defying hair.

"Itai," came Tarrec's strangled voice as he gripped onto Vegeta's hand.

"Who the Hell are you?" yelled Vegeta. When Tarrec did not answer, his grip tightened. "TELL ME!" yelled Vegeta.

Tarrec opened his mouth to answer however, Gochi beat him to the punch as she yelled:

"Vegeta-san!"

Vegeta, still gripping onto Tarrec, turned to see Gochi running towards him, the other Saiya-jin, Jinn, walking steadily behind. His eyes lowered, staring between the hybrid girl and the man in his stranglehold.

"It's okay, Vegeta-san," said Gochi, standing behind the Prince and looking concerned. "He's not bad."

Vegeta looked at the man, who by this stage was turning a slight blue, then, with slight hesitation, let him go. Tarrec collapsed onto the ground, coughing and holding his throat.

"Baka," came Jinn's voice from behind.

Tarrec stared up at Jinn, glowering at him.

"Who is he? Where the Hell did he come from?" asked Vegeta to Gochi, his voice calm but holding some urgency.

"Name's Tarrec Tohma," came Tarrec's voice.

"I didn't ask you," came Vegeta deadly reply.

Tarrec laughed nervously, backing away from the deadly glare and hiding behind Jinn, who sighed irritably.

"Yes… his name is Tarrec Tohma…" came Gochi's meek reply as she looked at Bulma, whose anger was slowly mounting by this point.

"And you didn't inform us of this, why?" came Bulma's calm-before-the-storm voice.

Gochi laughed nervously.

"I… didn't know?" she answered.

Bulma popped.

"GOCHI, YOU COULD'VE GOTTEN KILLED!"

Gochi laughed falling backwards onto her behind and sliding away from the woman to Jinn.

"He wasn't dangerous though…" came Gochi's weak reply.

"He _could_ have been, you know."

"B… but… I thought that…"

"What? You could run off on your own."

"I was with Jinn-kun."

"That's besides the point. Your mother says I have to take care of you. You're lucky Vegeta felt those powers or else something could've happened to you. Do you understand me Gochi?"

"Yes ma'am…"

"Now, get up and help Vegeta load the ship into the airship."

"Yes ma'am…"

Bulma sighed in exasperation as she turned to Tarrec. Tarrec blinked perplexedly, still half-hidden behind his best friend.

"And you… Carrot…"

"Tarrec," interrupted the Saiya-jin, emerging from behind Jinn.

"Whatever," said Bulma bluntly. "Where did you come from?"

Tarrec pointed up. Bulma looked annoyed.

"Well I did!" came Tarrec's reply to Bulma's look.

She sighed. "We'll settle this later. Get in the ship."

Tarrec's eyes shifted left to right, as if trying to see who Bulma was talking to. As he saw the annoyed look grow deeper he laughed nervously and entered the ship. Jinn sighed wearily and followed him in. Meanwhile, Gochi looked at Tarrec's ship, noticing the goo was still pretty much attached. Vegeta, however, did not care for observations and merely picked up the ship with one hand, carrying it over to the ship and muttering something about 'interrupting' and 'training' under his breath. As he reached the airship, he called Gochi over in the usual Vegeta-like manner.

"Hey you!"

Gochi turned her attention to Vegeta, waiting by the airship door. Now she understood why Bulma had asked for her help. Gochi jogged over and pressed the button for the airship bunker door to open. As it did, Vegeta threw the pod in, the two metals clashing with a reverberating bang.

"Hey," came a muffled cry from the cockpit. Both Gochi and Vegeta heard the cockpit door open and from the small space between the pod wall and the bunker came Tarrec's face. "Be careful with her! She's sensitive!"

Vegeta gave an arrogant grunt and walked away. Gochi and Tarrec watched him go, then she turned to him.

"Vegeta-san can be kind of… ano…"

"Rough?" came Tarrec's reply.

"Un," answered Gochi, giving a nervous smile.

Tarrec sighed, his face then disappearing from sight. Before that, Gochi had heard him mutter something about a "name" being "familiar". However, Gochi decided to shrug it off, pressing the button when she heard the cockpit door close and watching as the pod disappeared from sight.

"Gochi!" came Bulma's voice from the other side of the airship.

"Hai!" replied Gochi, jogging over to where Bulma and the others were congregating. It had been a long morning.


	10. Chapter Nine: Kingdom of Hope

**The Unique Alliance**

**Disclaimer:** Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama, TOEI Animation, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA INC., FUNinmation.

**Disclaimer 2: **New characters, The Unique Alliance © Eileen Setiawan, H-san, Hina-chan (i.e. the author of the story)

**Disclaimer 3: **This story is only for recreational purposes. I do not intend to sell this to anyone/anything.

**PART 1 The Kindness of Strangers**

* * *

"**In the wake of our steadfast spirits,  
The hearts of many men are rekindled.  
As we charge on the boundaries of our existence,  
****New armies are mustered to our cause."**

**Slechtvalk - Desertion**

* * *

**CHAPTER NINE – A Kingdom of Hope**

Gochi wore Bulma's old shirts, this one bearing the Capsule Corporation logo in the front. She wore her pyjama pants under, her legs swinging back and forth as she munched on honey-coated, buttery waffles made by Mrs. Briefs. Jinn sat next to her, also eating, but not so animatedly, and happily, as Gochi. He wore clothes that belonged to Vegeta, much to the Saiya-jin Prince's dismay, which consisted of black tracksuit pants, ("You never wear them anyway, Vegeta!" Bulma had yelled) and a plain, yellow button-up shirt. Tarrec sat next to his best friend, munching just as happily as Gochi, which caused some scepticism between both Vegeta and Bulma as they watched this newcomer mooching off them, despite Mrs. Briefs' willingness to cook a wholesome breakfast for all three.

For the whole trip from Mount Pauru to Capsule Corporation, Western Capital, the new Saiya-jin had remained silent, except for the occasional answer to Bulma's many questions, most of which Gochi answered. He held a thoughtful look on his face, as if trying to remember something, but not even sure what. As they had reached Western Capital the look had remained on his face, all the way to the breakfast table, when his expression went from earnest thought to ravenous hunger, pouncing into a seat and eating. In between his bites, he would often comment on the food, complimenting Mrs. Briefs on her cooking.

"He doesn't act like a Saiya-jin, does he?" questioned Bulma to no one in particular.

Vegeta grunted in acknowledgment. "He acts more like that third-rate, Kakarott."

Bulma fixed her hand on her chin, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Well, he doesn't seem… evil…"

"There's something in him though…" stated Vegeta.

"You mean… what you felt in the morning?"

Vegeta nodded.

"Well… we won't know until we question him, ne? After breakfast."

Vegeta grunted. "Whatever, I'm training."

Bulma turned to her husband, pouting.

"Fine… be like that. Honestly…" With that, they imparted their separate ways. Bulma towards the three, and Vegeta towards the training room.

* * *

"AH! That was DELICIOUS!" said Tarrec, holding his stomach. A stack of plates, almost as tall as Tarrec, stood before him.

"You want anymore?" asked Mrs. Briefs.

Tarrec shook his head.

"Nah, anymore and I'll bust."

"Well, at least have a drink."

"Cool! You have Blask?"

Mrs. Briefs looked at Tarrec in bewilderment.

"Oh my, I'm afraid not. What is it?"

"It's a great drink. Sweet and salty, hot and cold… a paradoxical drink you might say."

"Well, we don't have that drink, but we do have juice."

Tarrec grinned. "That's fine!" he answered, causing Mrs. Briefs to immediately fetch a glass and started drink. Meanwhile, Jinn smacked Tarrec upside the head, causing him to yell and hold his head.

"What was that for?"

"You know full well that they wouldn't have that on _this_ planet, baka," replied Jinn, voice monotonous as usual.

"It was just a question, no need to get physical."

Jinn merely grunted, looking in another direction. Inwardly, he was mildly happy to see Tarrec. It had been a while since he had seen _anybody_ remotely familiar to him. Sometimes he wondered how the other's were…

"Okay you three!" interrupted the familiar voice of the blue-haired human, as Bulma waltzed into the room. Gochi, Tarrec and Jinn turned towards her.

"We need to have a chat, ne?"

* * *

Bulma paced in front of the two Saiya-jins, sitting down on the lounge room couch. The Lounge Room was now an Interrogation Room as Bulma drilled Tarrec about where he had arrived from, his actions since he had been on Earth and his connections with Jinn. Every time a question was posed, Tarrec would reply with simply answers, sometimes not even answering the question correctly. By this time, Bulma felt the need to wring Tarrec's neck. He was getting _mighty_ cryptic for her liking.

Gochi laughed nervously, noticing the visible signs of Bulma's frustration building. She had been sitting on one of the armchairs, watching the interrogation between Saiya-jin and human.

"Ano…" interrupted Gochi from her location.

All three turned to her.

"Maybe Bulma-san should have a break," she continued.

The three went silent for a little while, and then Bulma straightened up, nodded and walked to the kitchen, bidding Gochi to follow. Gochi did as she was told and walked away from the lounge room, turning to the other two just before she left and shrugging before disappearing behind the door.

"She's nice," said Tarrec simply, causing Jinn to smack a hand against his forehead.

* * *

"He's just as nerve-wracking as his friend –" began Bulma.

"Jinn-kun," interrupted Gochi.

"Whatever!"

Gochi laughed nervously, scratching her cheek.

"Maybe if you talk in a more light-hearted matter…"

"Light-hearted? What do you mean light-hearted?" asked Bulma, crossing her arms and glaring over at Gochi.

She shrugged.

"Friendlier…" she muttered after several moment of awkward silence.

"I am friendly!" barked Bulma, causing Gochi to once again laugh nervously. She was hoping that Bulma had not heard.

* * *

"Why does Vegeta sound so familiar?" asked Tarrec, the other two conversing in the other room while the other two were out.

"What do you mean?" asked Jinn flatly, looking ahead in an unwavering stare.

"I mean… Vegeta… just sounds like I've heard it before, you know?" said Tarrec, gazing at Jinn.

Jinn gazed at him with a sceptical look. After a while he replied:

"No… I don't know."

Tarrec sighed, grabbing Jinn by the shoulders.

"Help me here!" he said, shaking Jinn back and forth. Jinn slapped Tarrec's hands away.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" he said firmly.

Once again, Tarrec sighed, placing a hand on his chin and crossing one arm over the other.

_But that name… it sounds so familiar…_ he thought. He closed his eyes, pondering over the name. It was then that something flashed in his mind, like a light bulb illuminating everything in the form of a sudden memory.

"_King Vegeta …"_ _said a blonde-haired young boy, turning to Tarrec with a smile. "He was the king of Planet Vegeta. He had a son who survived the destruction of the planet." The boy handed Tarrec a sheet of paper._

_Tarrec looked at it, seeing the image of a young boy, with jet-black spiky hair and an intense look on his face._

"_Prince Vegeta."_

Tarrec's eyes snapped open, his face a look of shock and surprise. Jinn looked at Tarrec with concern. At that same moment, Bulma and Gochi walked in, Gochi being pushed in by a highly tempered Bulma.

"Okay… because I'm not that _friendly_ Gochi will be the one –"

"You know Prince Vegeta!" yelled Tarrec, walking over to Bulma and grabbing her by the shoulders.

Bulma looked at Tarrec, shocked. Gochi looked equally as shocked as she turned to look at Jinn. Jinn's face looked intense.

"Y… yes… he's my husband…" replied Bulma listlessly.

"This… this is amazing! I can't believe it –"

"Tarrec…" interrupted Jinn, standing up.

"You know the Prince!"

"Tarrec!" Jinn stalked over to his best friend.

"You can help us! He can help us! He can help us all!"


	11. Chapter Ten: For My Ears Only

**The Unique Alliance**

**Disclaimer:** Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama, TOEI Animation, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA INC., FUNinmation.

**Disclaimer 2: **New characters, The Unique Alliance © Eileen Setiawan, H-san, Hina-chan (i.e. the author of the story)

**Disclaimer 3: **This story is only for recreational purposes. I do not intend to sell this to anyone/anything.

**PART 1: The Kindness of Strangers**

* * *

**"Shaking myself from the hum of the morning, **

**Saving it all for the rest of the night,**

**Losing myself to the drug of the city lights,**

**You're keeping secrets, **

**There's only one I need to find."**

**Motor Ace – Keeping Secrets**

* * *

**CHAPTER TEN – For My Ears Only **

Gochi woke up in bed, her blankets covering her, her blinds closed, and her hair tousled. She yawned, her hand covering her mouth and one eye closing. As she lay there, thoughts of yesterday came to mind and a concerned look crossed her visage.

"Jinn-kun…" she said, shifting onto her side and looking at her desk, where she saw the incense-holder, the incense stick now burned down to nothing. She closed her eyes, yesterday's incident coming back to her.

"_Urusei!" yelled Jinn, grabbing Tarrec by the collar and pushing him against the Capsule Corporation walls. _

_Tarrec stared, a look of shock on his face as he stared down at the enraged look on Jinn's face. _

"_Don't say anything else!" yelled Jinn, his face in Tarrec's face. "Nothing! Do you hear me?" _

Gochi sighed in bed, shifting onto her back once again and sitting up. She looked to her clock. It read 7:00 AM.

"I guess I should get up, ne Kyou-kun…" she mumbled to her stuffed toy. Swinging her legs to the side, she stood up, fixing her pyjamas and her hair and walking towards the bathroom to brush her teeth.

* * *

Jinn closed his eyes, feeling the water soak into him. He had not showered the other day. He did not even want to shower, even though he felt dirty for the rest of that day. Tarrec had brought up enough memories for one day. He lifted a hand to his head, feeling that familiar warmth before the storm. He knew a headache would ensue soon. A painful one. Full of memories.

He gritted his teeth, leaning his head against the wall of the shower. In a bid to forget, he grabbed the hot water knob and increased it, feeling the sear of hot water against his skin. Grabbing the cold-water knob, he turned it off. The heat was so great; Jinn's skin went red. But still, the pain in his head was so much more painful than that of his back.

"Go away…" he mumbled through gritted teeth. It was then that he saw a figure enter from the side door. Jinn turned towards the figure, seeing Gochi.

(1) "Seh! GOMENASAI!" yelled Gochi, covering her eyes and turning around to run out of the bathroom.

Jinn put one arm out in a bid to say something, but she was already gone. He then looked down at himself, completely naked, shrugged and turned to the shower, leaning with his back against the shower wall.

* * *

Gochi sat on the couch, face in her hands, her muffled mumbles barely audible. Her thoughts went something like this:

"_I can't believe I just walked in there without knocking! I'm such an idiot. I just stood there. I'm so lucky there was a lot of fog. I need to apologise to him later. I should have knocked. Why didn't I knock? Maybe I should apologise to him now. He must've been so embarrassed. I'm so stupid…"_ And etcetera.

All the while, Tarrec, who had been sleeping on the floor in front of the coffee table in Gochi's lounge room, had woken up, wondering what Gochi was doing on Jinn's bed.

"Somethin' wrong?" he asked, his voice plagued with the slur of drowsiness that was getting up in the morning.

Gochi jumped, an audible scream emitting from her mouth as she saw Tarrec before her beyond her table. She had almost forgotten he was there.

"Ta – Tarrec-san? You – you scared me…" she stuttered, her hand clutching her chest, feeling the bada-bump of her heart beneath her palm.

Tarrec laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. He then stretched and yawned, plopping both arms on the table and resting his head on his arms. A concerned look crossed his face.

"Is Jinn-kun okay?" he asked.

Gochi looked at him, puzzled and also confused. She then shrugged.

"Gomen, Tarrec-san. I don't know."

Tarrec sighed, and then smiled.

"S'okay. Guess I can live with it." He stood up, the bottom-half of the clothes he had on at Capsule Corporation still on him now. As he scratched his neck he walked towards the kitchen.

"Hey, can you show me around this place? It'd be nice to know where I'm going," he said, his voice echoing over the room.

Gochi affirmed his question, and then turning to the television, sighed quietly, still concerned for Jinn, and stood up, walking towards Tarrec to give him the grand tour. Meanwhile, her mind reflected on Tarrec and his reaction to Jinn's outrage. That expression on his face…

_Shocked, Tarrec had nodded, before Jinn roughly let him go, striding out of the room and disappearing out of sight. Bulma looked towards Tarrec, a clearly confused expression on her face._

"_What's wrong with him?" asked Bulma. _

_Tarrec looked down, his hand clutching his neck and a disturbed look on his face, his eyes shadowed from both Bulma and Gochi. _

* * *

"And over there is the bathroom… Jinn-kun's in there right now…" said Gochi, standing in front of the door which separated the bathroom from the hallway.

Tarrec looked confused.

"So, you have two bathrooms?" he asked, looking around for the other one.

Gochi stared at him, equally confused. It then dawned on her and she gave a small laugh.

"No, just the one. There's two doors that lead into it. It's a rather strange design, but Bulma had wanted the kitchen to be bigger and a study to be included, so instead of two bathrooms, I got a bigger kitchen and a study included," explained Gochi.

"Ohhh," replied Tarrec, nodding, looking at the bathroom door. "But aren't there three doors? That's what you said."

"The third door leads to the laundry room and roof access. You probably saw it when you entered the house."

Tarrec nodded once again. "Ah, a very complicated bathroom I see…" he mumbled, looking to the door with his hand on his chin.

Gochi giggled, looking to the Saiya-jin. It was then that the door swung open, causing Gochi to look towards the sound. Jinn stood there, boxers on, a towel around his neck, and steam fuming from his skin. Despite the fact that his towel looked used, water still dripped from his face. As he saw Gochi, he stopped, staring at her for a short time, before looking towards Tarrec equally as briefly, and walking away, not saying a word. Gochi turned her head, seeing as Jinn walked towards the lounge room. As she opened her mouth to say something, Tarrec beat her to it.

"Jinn-kun?" yelled Tarrec, causing the other Saiya-jin to turn around. "Want to… spar?" he asked.

Jinn stared at Tarrec for some time, as if genuinely thinking about the proposition. He then made a small sound of acknowledgement before turning his back on both of them and walking the rest of the way to the lounge room. Tarrec sighed and groaned at the same time.

"He's never gonna talk to me…" he wailed, a hand over his eyes and his head back, parallel to the ceiling.

Gochi sighed silently, then smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked to her with that troubled look on his face.

"You can take the bathroom first," she said, smiling at him.

His expression changed to mild surprise.

"You sure?" he asked.

Gochi nodded. "I need to make breakfast anyway."

Tarrec gave her a small smile and walked into the bathroom, waving to her before he closed the door. Gochi, who had waved back, sighed once more as the door closed. She turned to the lounge room, a silent resolve already in mind. As she walked to the lounge room, her mind reflected once more on yesterday.

_Tarrec smiled, looking up at Bulma._

"_N – nothing," he replied to her question. "Maybe, we should stop talking. I apologise Princess." He bowed to Bulma, nodded to Gochi, and followed Jinn's exit._

_Gochi looked at where both had disappeared to, a concerned look on her face. As she turned to Bulma to speak, a large sweat drop ran down the back of her head. Bulma looked enraptured._

"_He called me Princess…" she said, a hand over her mouth in an expression of glee._

_Gochi sighed, shaking her head. _

_The next time she had seen Jinn, he had already flown back to the apartment, waiting on the roof and looking out towards the city below. Tarrec had accompanied Gochi, having lost his best friend and ended up wandering around Capsule Corporation. In his arms he held his old clothes and the scouter. When they arrived, Jinn did not say a word to either of them, merely waiting near the entrance, which Gochi opened and allowed both men in. As she followed them, she remembered the expression on Tarrec's face… so sad…_

* * *

Meanwhile, in Area 812, Videl inspected the wreckage, horrified at the damage done to the government facility. She had been surprised by the call made via the government. They implored her to come, as her presence would be a calming figure to the already shock-riddled and grief-stricken scientists. As she peered around, she saw just how much emotional damage they were going through. Many of the scientists had never experienced something so dramatic as a life-and-death situation, and Videl believed it was a miracle all of them were uninjured. She then gasped as the paramedics walked by, carrying the leading scientist on a stretcher. He was alive but seriously injured, his head wrapped in bandages, and a brace around his neck.

_Maybe not everyone…_ thought Videl, watching as they walked away. Clearing her throat, Videl called out to the paramedics:

"Wait!"

They stopped as Videl walked up, looking at the scientist.

"Sir?" she asked.

The scientist's eyes opened, seeing Videl.

"Videl-san!" he said, his voice croaky.

"Please don't talk sir. Just nod or shake your head. Are you alright sir?" she asked.

The man nodded.

"Do you think you can answer a few questions once we get you to hospital?"

The man nodded once again.

Videl smiled. "Thankyou sir."

The man smiled the best he could as he was carried off into the awaiting ambulance above ground. Meanwhile, Videl scoped the area, seeing the government enforcers going about their business, questioning scientists and the like. Forensics inspected the area where the space ship had been, wiping off a sticky-like substance from the ground and placing it in containers for later analyses. Videl crossed her arms, wondering what kind of being could possibly cause so much damage. Surely it could not be _just_ one person. It was impossible. However, the reports so far stated that only _one_ man entered the area, _one_ man caused the havoc, and _one_ man single-handedly lifted the space ship above his head and threw it into the roof, causing a hole so large it would take weeks to repair. There were evidence of two others, but their footprints ended just outside the hatch that hid the entryway into the facility.

Videl sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

_If only I had a clue about what this thing looked like… then maybe I can –_ she thought, her thoughts werethen interrupted as a scientist walked towards her.

Videl looked to her, blinking blankly.

"Videl-san. I – I saw the man clearly," she said, her voice slightly quavering. "He looked straight at me."

Videl's eyes went wide in excitement.

"Really? Can you – can you give us a description?" asked Videl.

The scientist smiled.

"I can do much more than that," said the scientist, reaching into her coat. As her hand emerged, she carried a small tape, pocketsize, bearing the Capsule Corporation logo. The logo reminded Videl that she needed to talk to someone about CC's involvement in the earlier incident of the crash in Satan City. The area was still being repaired, and families were still mourning over their dead loved ones.

"That tape… has a clear image?" asked Videl.

The woman nodded. "I purposefully walked in front of the camera so that he would pass it. When he looked at me, there's footage of his entire face on the screen." The woman smiled. "I would be so happy if you could catch this man. He… he's dangerous…"

Videl nodded.

"I'll inform the officials right a –"

"No!" said the woman, grabbing Videl. "Please don't. They – they'll bury it."

"What?" asked Videl, clearly confused.

"These men," she said, her voice a whisper. "They… they only care for the research… and if anyone gets in the way of that research, well…" The woman sighed. "… They don't care for lives of others. I don't want this man dead… just… captive."

Videl bit her lip. "O – okay…" she said, hesitatively. "Okay!" she said, once again, more firmly. "I'll do it. Once I get him, I'll talk to the officials."

The woman smiled, nodding. "Thankyou."

Videl nodded in return, and then turning to the exit, started walking out.

_Me? Catch someone on my own? How am I supposed to do that? And… isn't he dangerous?_ thought Videl, wondering just what she had gotten herself into.

* * *

"Jinn-kun?" came Gochi's voice through Jinn's thoughts. He looked to the side, seeing her leaning over the back of the couch. She smiled at him. He turned away. "You… okay?"

No reply.

Gochi sighed, standing up straight and walking around the couch. She sat next to him, looking at his face. He stared straight ahead, his golden eyes blankly looking towards the empty television screen. He then realised she was staring at him. He turned to her.

"What?" he questioned bluntly.

She laughed. "Nothing," she replied.

"Can you quit staring at me?" he asked.

She laughed again. "Gomen," she replied.

He sighed, looking away and leaning back on the chair. "What do you want?" he asked again, staring at the ceiling. There was a few moments silence before Gochi replied:

"It's about Tarrec-san."

Jinn turned his head to look at her. He only saw the back of her, as she was still sitting forward, her elbows on her knees, her hands clasped in front of her.

"What about him?" he asked.

"He… he's upset you know… He knows there's something wrong, but you won't talk to him…" Gochi sighed, she had been doing that a lot today. "What _is_ wrong?" Gochi leaned back also, turning to look at him.

Jinn looked away.

"Nothing. You wouldn't understand."

Gochi stared, trying not to look sceptical, but fearing the emotion was coming through. She covered this with a reply.

"Of course I wouldn't," she answered. "You – when you got here, you were completely injured from top to bottom. We didn't know what was wrong with you… and I don't think anyone ever will…"

Jinn once again turned to look at her. By this time, she was staring at the ceiling.

"But… what I would like… is for you to tell me you're okay. And if you're not okay… tell me that too. I don't need to know why, just for you to tell me. That's enough. All the whys… the hows… they're for your ears only. I don't want you to tell me your life story just because I said so. But the way you feel… even though I know not many people like to openly say how they feel… it's good to tell someone. Even if it's an 'I feel sad'… it's something. And something is always enough."

Jinn saw Gochi smile. He knew there was something else behind it, but he could not guess what. She then turned to him.

"I should cook breakfast for you two. Then _I_ got to use the bathroom." Gochi got herself up off the couch, walking towards the kitchen.

He heard the normal clatter of her getting all the utensils and cooking ware for her set task, and then, he heard the door to the bathroom open.

"Done!" came Tarrec's voice to Gochi.

"Great, I'll go next," she replied. He could tell from her voice she was smiling.

As she walked towards the bathroom, she could just make out the conversation going on behind her.

"Tarrec… I'll take you up on that proposition," said Jinn, voice blunt and monotonous as usual.

"Really?" said Tarrec excitedly.

"Just don't go Kordal…"

"Yessir!" said Tarrec loudly.

Gochi smiled, closing the door behind her, just time enough to hear Jinn's blunt statement of "baka" as Tarrec laughed on.

* * *

**(1) Author's Note: **As I have progressed with this story, I realised that Gochi's little exclamation "seh" had been typed as "see". Because I understand that people will become confused between "see", Gochi's exclamation when in different situations, and 'see', to look at something, I decided to change the spelling. I dropped the last 'e' and replaced it with an 'h'. I hope this clears things up with readers. 


	12. Chapter Eleven: First Impressions

**The Unique Alliance**

**Disclaimer:** Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama, TOEI Animation, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA INC., FUNinmation.

**Disclaimer 2: **New characters, The Unique Alliance © Eileen Setiawan, H-san, Hina-chan (i.e. the author of the story)

**Disclaimer 3: **This story is only for recreational purposes. I do not intend to sell this to anyone/anything.

**WARNING: **extremely long chapter ahead… e.e;;

**PART 1: The Kindness of Strangers**

* * *

"**You look at me, I look at you.**

**You judge me and I judge you.**

**This is not fair to both of us.**

**Our first impressions you cannot trust."**

**98 Mute – Dreams **

* * *

**CHAPTER ELEVEN – First Impressions **

Gohan yawned, doodling in his workbook. Images of Piccolo, his father, his sister and himself adorned the pages; memories of the three years training they had together. His mind reflected on those three years. Gochi had barely been with them, and when she had, she was usually on the ground, doing _something_. It made Gohan think – what _had_ she been doing? He looked at his doodle of Piccolo and chuckled. The doodle looked nothing like Piccolo. He knew something seemed to be missing. Picking up his pencil, he drew in a cape and a turban and grinned. There was Piccolo! Now it got him wondering how Piccolo was. He knew he was now living up on Kami's Tower with Dende. It made him want to visit.

Yawning again, Gohan leaned back on his chair, now thinking of the final doodle. He wondered what his father was doing at that moment. Maybe he was training in the Other World. _Could_ you train in the Other World? Obviously you could… Gohan remembered his father coming back after his death during the Raditz fight. He was much more powerful, with new techniques too. He smiled, eyes closed, remembering his father during the days of past. At that moment, he thought he heard a chair being placed behind him. As he opened his eyes, his heart skipped a beat as Goku's face appeared out of nowhere. However…

"ONIICHAN!"

"AHHHHH!"

Gohan went sprawling sideways, careful not to completely crush his little brother under the weight of his flying body. As Gohan hit the floor, he lay there for some time, his heart racing at 100 kilometres per hour. As he clutched his chest, Goten's face appeared in his view again.

"Oniichan? Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," said Goten, his expression one of concern.

Gohan laughed nervously, sitting up.

"I was just… uh… checking out the floor," replied Gohan, slapping his palm against the wooden decking.

Goten cocked his head, a curious look on his face.

"Why?" he asked.

Gohan laughed again. "Don't worry," he replied. "So, what do you want Goten?"

Goten beamed. "Kaasan said we should go check on Oneechan!" he responded.

"So… Kaasan's letting me off studying?" asked Gohan.

Goten nodded his head enthusiastically. Gohan grinned, welcoming the break from study. He knew it was Gochi's summer break, so she did not have much of a workload. Plus, with Gochi's apartment being the "safe house" for all these suddenly appearing Saiya-jins, Gohan was beginning to worry.

"Well, let's go!" said Gohan, scooping up his little brother in his arms and exiting out of his window. "KINTOUN!"

In a whirl and a sudden gust of wind, the yellow cloud appeared before the two Sons. Jumping on, Gohan sat down cross-legged Indian style, Goten plopping down into his lap.

"Where's Kaasan anyway?" asked Gohan as Kintoun began accelerating.

"At Bulma-san's house to tell her off about the other new Saiya-jin," replied Goten nonchalantly, looking up at his big brother.

"Oh," replied Gohan, a nervous look on his visage as he imagined his mother's reaction to the ordeal.

* * *

Tarrec yawned, a hand over his mouth and one eye shut. Jinn sat next to him, equally as bored. Unable to leave the house just yet, both Saiya-jins were forced to remain in Gochi's apartment until the incident of Tarrec's felony cooled down. The newspapers were calling it an alien conspiracy. Gochi grew uneasy at how close they really were.

"Aw," whined Tarrec. "I'm bored!"

Gochi laughed anxiously, scratching her cheek. "Sorry guys, but I can't let you be seen…"

"Is this really necessary?" asked Jinn, looking towards Gochi.

Once again, she laughed.

"Well…" began Gochi, looking around the room. "I can't let the three of them see you… and no one ever goes into my room."

The two Saiya-jins sighed, Tarrec pathetically, Jinn frustratingly. Both of them were sitting on Gochi's bedroom floor, Jinn with his back to the wall, Tarrec with his back to her bed. Sunlight streamed in through the open window, the Venetian blinds causing a prison-like effect in the room. Furthermore, the scenery outside made them want freedom more. It was… torture. To both Saiya-jins, it felt like a prison: a pleasant-smelling, comfortable one, but a prison nonetheless. Gochi stood up from her position on the rug, bowing down in apology.

"Gomenasai!" she stated. "I have to go outside now, or… you know… they might get suspicious…"

Smiling and trying his best to lighten the mood, Tarrec nodded.

"Go, go!" he said to her. "I've got Jinn's company."

"Great," replied Jinn, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Gochi gave an apologetic smile and exited her room. As she entered the hallway, she could just make out knocks coming from her bathroom. Confused, she entered, hearing that each knock was emitting from the door to the roof. Opening the partition separating the "laundry room" from the bathroom, Gochi looked up at the overhead rope attached to the door. Sure enough, there was yet another thud against the roof.

THUD… THUD… THUD…

Three thuds, separated by a one-second interval. Gochi smiled, having a vague idea who it was. If not for the thudding, than the power reading she felt. Grabbing hold of the rope, she pulled it down, revealing two smiling faces.

"Neechan!" yelled Goten, leaping out from the doorway into Gochi's arms.

Gochi laughed, getting bowled over by her overexcited little brother. Gohan exited the roof, via the stairs, closing the access as he touched ground floor. He then turned to Gochi with a grin, placing his hand out. Gochi, laughing, grabbed onto it, being pulled up by her older twin brother.

"So, how are things?" he asked.

Gochi shrugged, holding Goten with one arm as he hugged her around the neck.

"This and this, that and that," she said casually.

"Yeah, this and that, but with two men living in your house," grumbled Gohan, his expression changing to one of concern.

Gochi laughed nervously, scratching her cheek with her free hand.

"It's nothing really… you know… they're nice…"

"_Nice_? Gochi, they're full-grown men!" he said loudly.

Gochi placed her free hand on his mouth.

"SHHH!" she hissed. "I have guests here," she whispered.

"You do?" asked Gohan.

"You do?" asked Goten, more excitedly.

"Yeah she does," came an unfamiliar voice. All three turned, seeing Videl in the doorway. Her face looked sceptical. "What's this about full-grown men?"

* * *

"You have other guests here?" asked Erasa, looking curious.

"Yeah, full-grown men," answered Videl, still looking sceptical.

Erasa looked both overjoyed and shocked. She sat by Videl on the couch where Jinn usually slept. Next to Videl sat Sharpner, looking uninterested in whatever the subject matter was at hand. He had zoned out of the conversation a while ago.

"Wow, are they handsome?" questioned Erasa, looking towards Gochi.

Gochi sat on the carpet, her legs folded beneath her as she sat at the coffee table, preparing drinks for the three. She opened her mouth to respond, however, closed it, thinking better.

"They're… they're friends of the family…" replied Gochi, smiling weakly. "They wanted to stay inner-city, and because there's no where else to reside, they decided to stay here."

"Wow, can we see 'em?" asked Erasa.

"Ano… they're quite…"

"Shy," intercepted Gohan. He sat on the armchair, remaining silent through most of the conversation. However, when seeing all the pressure these questions placed on his sister, he decided to intervene. Goten meanwhile played near the windows, laughing as he saw birds flying by, some landing on the sill.

"They're shy? Why?" asked Videl, still sceptical.

"Ano… they're foreign. They can't speak the language very much…" lied Gochi. All this lying was not healthy for her.

"Ohh, how cute!" gushed Erasa.

Gochi laughed nervously, handing out the tea to her guests. Videl still remained sceptical, picking up her cup of tea and drinking. She then looked at the teacup, surprised.

"What is it?" asked Gochi confused.

"This is good…" said Videl.

Gochi smiled. "Thanks."

"WELL!" said Gohan loudly, standing up. He turned to Goten. "Hey, Goten!" Goten turned to his big brother.

"Huh?" he replied.

"Can you stay and entertain the guests? I've got to talk to Gochi-chan,"

"Okay!" piped Goten.

Gohan walked over to Gochi, who peered curiously at her brother. Gohan grabbed Gochi's arm, dragging her to the kitchen. Gochi allowed her brother to drag her. Both then stopped short as Videl called out:

"Hey!"

Both turned to her. Videl was looking at Gohan.

"Who are you, anyway?" asked Videl, staring curiously at Gohan.

"E to…" started Gohan.

"My oniichan," said Gochi, smiling. "We'll be right back," she ended, this time grabbing Gohan and heading to the kitchen. The three exchanged glances, and then looked to Goten, who stood in front of them, hands behind the back of his head, grinning.

"Then you must be…" started Videl, pointing to Goten.

"Neechan's little brother!" exclaimed Goten, grinning.

"Heh, I didn't know she had siblings," said Erasa, scratching her cheek.

"Yeah, we don't live here. Neechan lives by herself here," explained Goten.

The three looked around at the lounge room. Being a penthouse suite, the room looked fit for a family.

"How much is the rent here anyway?" asked Sharpner, speaking for the first time.

"Oh… you mean pay?" asked Goten, looking slightly clueless.

"Yeah," answered Sharpner.

Goten laughed. "Neechan doesn't need to pay. She got it for free from Bulma-san!" he exclaimed.

"W – wait…" stuttered Erasa. "You know the President of Capsule Corporation?"

"Mm-hmm!" hummed Goten. "Trunks-kun is my best friend!" he added rather tactlessly.

The three nearly fell over if not for the reason they were already sitting down in the first place.

"The President's son? You – you're best friends with the President's son?" stammered Erasa once again, her blue eyes widened in surprise.

Goten nodded once again, humming his affirmation to the statement, hands behind his head. Videl's expression of surprise turned to one of consideration.

_Wait… if they know the Briefs… then maybe…_ she pondered, staring at the boy before her, who talked nonchalantly about the fact that he had friends in high places.

* * *

"What does this new Saiya-jin look like?" whispered Gohan, leaning over the kitchen bench as he talked to his sister, who stood on the other side.

Gochi looked thoughtful, humming under her breath.

"Actually…" she started, her expression changing to one of awkward nervousness. "He looks… a lot like you," she ended, pointing to her brother.

Gohan went silent for some time, staring in disbelief.

"What?" he said, his voice coming out forcefully.

Gochi laughed nervously once again.

"Well…" she started. "There are differences. He is a lot _taller_ than you," said Gochi, her hand indicating his approximate height in comparison to Gohan.

"I've got to see for myself," stated Gohan, staring down the corridor. "Where are they anyway?"

Again, that awkward look spread across Gochi's visage.

"In my bedroom…"

* * *

From the lounge room, the three listened to Goten's ranting, both Erasa and Sharpner staring intently at the little boy as he talked about the Briefs and his association with them. Goten's ranting was broken by an abrupt:

"WHAAAAAT?"

The three turned around to look towards the kitchen, seeing Gohan standing before a nervously laughing Gochi, a look of horror and shock on his face. The two twins then realised they had an audience.

"Gomenasai gozaimasu," apologised Gochi, bowing down to them from the entrance of the kitchen. "Niichan… kinda… ano…"

_Think of something!_ screamed Gohan to Gochi via mind-link.

"… forgot something?"

_Yeah… that was a GREAT lie…_ came Gohan's voice in Gochi's head once again.

Gochi laughed nervously, however, via mind link, her voice was something like: _Urusei!_

"Okay…" said Sharpner, looking sceptical.

Both twins laughed.

"Ano…" began Gochi. "I… need to show niichan something. May you please wait for a while?"

The three exchanged glances, and then nodded.

"Your little brother can entertain us," said Erasa, smiling at Goten, who gave her a big Son grin.

* * *

As the two walked down the hallway, they could hear bickering coming from behind Gochi's bedroom door. Gochi peered at the door concernedly, a finger to her lip, contemplating whether or not they should enter. Gohan awaited behind her, looking over her shoulder, which was not that hard to do due to Gochi's lack of height.

"Oh come on," said Gohan. "It's your room, right?" With that, Gohan grabbed the handle, turned it and entered. Gochi followed suit. Both their brows rose as they saw the scene ahead.

Jinn, an annoyed expression on his visage, held Tarrec's head in an arm lock. Tarrec had his eyes closed, arms trying to pry said arms off. As Gohan cleared his throat, both looked up.

"Oh, hello Gochi-san and somebody-I-don't-know!" chirped Tarrec, despite the awkward position he was in.

Both twins shushed him, Gochi closing the door behind her. Jinn, meanwhile, let go of Tarrec, giving an irate sigh.

"They're still here," said Gochi, leaning against her door, her hands behind her, clasping her handle.

"Whose this?" asked Tarrec, rubbing his neck and peering at Gohan.

"Son Gohan," replied Gohan, looking Tarrec up and down. He could not believe it. Tarrec did look somewhat like him.

"Son? So, you're related to Gochi-san?" asked Tarrec, looking towards Gochi for confirmation.

Gochi nodded. "He's my niichan."

"Ah, I see. You're on the photos and stuff," said Tarrec. He jabbed a finger to Gochi's desk where photos of family and friends adorned the top shelf.

"And you are?" asked Gohan.

"Aww," said Tarrec with a mock tone of sorrow. "Gochi hasn't given me a formal introduction?"

"I'm… afraid not…" said Gohan. This Saiya-jin was strange to say the least.

"Ah, no worries. Name's Tarrec Tohma!" chorused Tarrec, standing up and putting his hand out to Gohan.

Gohan stared at his hand, hesitated, and then shook it.

"Told you he was okay," said Gochi, smiling towards her brother.

Jinn scoffed.

"Not if you've known him for as long as I have," he mumbled under his breath.

"Kuropoo's mean!" whined Tarrec. "He's all grumpy and hurting me."

The twins blinked, completely oblivious.

"Kuropoo?" they both questioned in unison.

"Yeah, it's a nickname that we – ITAI!"

Jinn had roughly kicked Tarrec in the back of the knee, causing him to lurch onto one knee.

"Urusei!" said Jinn, a vein of annoyance appearing just above his forehead.

"See?" said Tarrec meekly, looking innocent as tears streamed down his face like two rivers.

Both twins laughed nervously. Gochi then turned to the outside, growing concerned for her little brother. How long could a 5-year-old talk without getting bored or saying things he was not meant to say? A large bead of sweat ran down her head as she realised that the latter would be _very_ awkward.

"Ano… I have to go. Niichan can talk to you two. I'm sure there's a lot you need to say to them," said Gochi, smiling at her brother.

"Right," said Gohan, giving her an awkward smile.

"Ja," she said to the three, exiting the room and closing the door behind her.

* * *

As Gochi entered the room her mouth fell open, seeing Goten _still_ talking. The three remained amused by the little boy's energy, watching as he animatedly talked about…

_What IS he talking about?_ thought Gochi, walking towards the three. As she neared them, she could hear him speaking.

"… and there was this HUGE dinosaur, and me and Trunks-kun were like "wow" and we played with it, and…"

"Okay, okay!" said Gochi, grabbing her little brother and wrapping a hand around his mouth. "I think they've heard enough stories."

Goten's reply was muffled, but Gochi could just make out the following sentence:

"Aww, but I haven't gotten to the good part yet!"

Gochi laughed nervously, looking at the three.

"Your brother has _some_ imagination," said Erasa, smiling at Gochi. "He's so cute too!"

"Yeah, he takes after my father," said Gochi, smiling and sitting down on the armchair, Goten sitting on her lap.

"Uh-huh, niichan says that I look _exactly_ like him!" he piped, grinning once again.

Gochi smiled down at her little brother. "And that's very true," she said, hugging him around the neck. Goten's grin only grew wider.

"Wait," started Sharpner. "Your brother… the other one… he's the oldest right?"

"Uh-huh," replied Gochi.

"By how many years?"

"Years?" Gochi looked confused, then thoughtful. "Well, actually, it's more like… 25 minutes."

"Wait… minutes?" interjected Videl.

Gochi nodded. "We're twins… isn't that obvious?" she asked, looking clueless.

The three fell silent for some time, staring with incredulous faces at Gochi. They thought of both Gohan and Gochi, the only similarities between them being the black hair and similar eyes. They were of differing heights, different genders, and their personalities only ever matched at some moments.

"No way?" said Erasa, looking excited. "I've never met fraternal male-female twins!"

"Erasa… you're way too happy about this…" said Sharpner, staring at his long-time friend.

"Well, I think it's cool," said Erasa, ignoring Sharpner's comments and smiling at Gochi.

Gochi smiled in return. Her face then faulted as a sudden crash resounded from the back of the apartment. A large bead of sweat ran down the back of Gochi's head.

_Uh-oh…_ she thought, feeling the normal reaction of nervousness coming.

"What was that?" asked Videl, looking suspiciously down the hallway.

"Ano… it's… nothing… just the other guests," she stuttered.

"Oh yeah, I nearly forgot about that," said Erasa nonchalantly.

Another crash sounded, causing Erasa to jump. She looked worriedly at Gochi. "Are they okay?" she asked.

"I'll… go check it out…" said Gochi. She stood up, carrying her little brother, and walked down the hallway.

Suspicious, Videl stood and followed. Exchanging glances, Erasa and Sharpner shrugged and followed suit. As Gochi reached her room, she knocked.

No reply.

Gochi looked to her room, confused. She knocked again.

No reply.

"Ano… guys?" asked Gochi.

"Is that where they sleep?" asked Erasa's voice from behind.

Gochi let out a yell of surprise, twirling around to face the three. Goten laughed.

"Neechan's face looks funny."

Gochi looked to Goten with an expression that read "not funny" and placed him down.

"Amuse yourself," she said to him.

He grinned. "Can I use your computer-thingy?" asked Goten.

Gochi nodded. "Okay, but be careful."

Goten let out a cry of happiness, dashing into the guest room. As he opened the door, Gochi saw a glimpse of Gohan in the room. For a split second, their eyes met. The expression in his eyes was one of anxiety. As the door closed, Gochi bit her lip.

_They're in the guest room…_ she thought, a surge of panic welling up in her stomach. Regaining as much composure as she could, she turned to the three guests.

"Ano…" she started. "I believe we should…"

"Can we see them?" asked Erasa, looking at Gochi hopefully. It seemed Erasa was fervent in meeting these foreigners.

"Well… they don't like mingling much… because they… they're embarrassed that they can't speak the language," lied Gochi. This lying really _was_ unhealthy for her.

"Aww, come on," said Erasa, giving Gochi a pleading look. "I just want to introduce myself."

"Yeah, it wouldn't be so bad. It's not like they're weird-looking," said Sharpner, starting to get inquisitive about these "foreigners" that Gochi had in her apartment.

Gochi mentally kicked herself. How was she supposed to get out of this situation?

"I… really don't think…" started Gochi.

"What's wrong?" asked Videl suspiciously. "Are you trying to hide them? Is that it?"

Erasa laughed, peering at Videl.

"Videl is always getting suspicious. Especially since what happened several months ago," explained Erasa, giving an apologetic look to Gochi.

"Oh… really…" said Gochi, getting listless. This was bad… _really_ bad.

"Yeah, so give me a good reason why us three can't come in," said Videl, crossing her arms, peering at Gochi with suspicion.

"You can't come in because…" started Gochi.

"WE'RE NAKED!" came Tarrec's voice from the other side of the door.

Both rooms went completely silent. Gochi stood, dumbstruck, staring at her three guests, who looked equally as dumbstruck.

"Ah, I get it. They're from Amsterdam, aren't they?" asked Sharpner after the long silence.

Gochi fumbled her words, looking this way and that, her eyes now plain dots set into her head.

"That'd make sense," said Videl, looking to Sharpner, who nodded.

Erasa was still silent, completely dumbstruck. She then gasped in horror.

"Oh my God! That little boy is still in there!"


	13. Chapter 12: A Case of Mistaken Identity

**The Unique Alliance**

**Disclaimer:** Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama, TOEI Animation, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA INC., FUNinmation.

**Disclaimer 2: **New characters, The Unique Alliance © Eileen Setiawan, H-san, Hina-chan (i.e. the author of the story)

**Disclaimer 3: **This story is only for recreational purposes. I do not intend to sell this to anyone/anything.

**Author's Note:** To all my fellow Australians, I was _so_ tempted to use Delta Goodrem lyrics. XD But yeah… the identity crises is between _two_ men… not one girl…

**PART 1: The Kindness of Strangers**

* * *

"**Looking through these bars, **

**And wondering why I'm here,**

**Accused of a crime I did not commit,**

**And the police make nothing clear…"**

**Biohazard – Mistaken Identity**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWELVE – A Case of Mistaken Identity **

Videl opened her eyes to the morning light streaming through her window. She stretched out on her bed, yawning with eyes closed. For several minutes, she lay there, absorbing the last comforting moments in her bed before she had to wake up for the day. As she lay there, her mind started lulling over the strange incidents that were occurring lately.

The two alien spacecrafts…

The break-in at the research facility…

Capsule Corporation's involvement…

The strange behaviour of Son Gochi _and _her connection with Capsule Corporation…

That video…

Her mind reflected on the video. She had yet to watch it. Sitting up, she stared at the far end of her enormous bedroom, seeing her desk on the far end. The video still lay where she placed it: on the top of her desk, pushed into the back so the maid would not get suspicious. Getting out of bed, Videl slipped on her nightgown and slippers. She then fixed up her long black hair, walking towards the desk, and reaching it, picked up the tape, examining it once again. A knock on her door caused Videl to twist around in surprise, holding the tape behind her.

"Come in," she said.

The door swung open, her maid coming in. She gave Videl a polite smile, bowing ever so slightly as she saw the young Videl.

"Videl-san, is there anything you'd like?" asked the maid.

Videl shook her head.

"No, it's okay. I can clean up here. Tell tousan I'll be right down," replied Videl, giving the maid a smile.

The maid bowed once again, exiting and closing the door behind her. Videl breathed a sigh of relief, inspecting the tape once more. Her eyes then drifted to her television in her room. With a strong resolve, she marched toward the television. Inserting the tape into the video recorder, Videl sat down on the floor, her small table before her. Resting one arm on the table, her other hand controlled the recorder. Taking a deep sigh, Videl pressed the play button.

The screen blinked on. The quality of the tape was quite bad, where white lines could be seen streaming across the bottom of the screen. Leaning in, she could make out the back of the woman coming into view. As she pressed the button on the ship, another man appeared in the background, farther from the camera. A twisted smirk was on his face. Videl squinted. He looked _awfully_ familiar. He then turned his head towards her. The minute his whole face crossed the screen, Videl paused, still squinting.

He _did _look familiar…

But who?

Videl sat staring at the screen, puzzled. She then grabbed the remote, pressing the button that allowed frame-by-frame shots of the video. Most of them were bad quality, where part or all of the face was obscured. As Videl continued pressing, she grinned as she found a clear shot of the man. He had a friendly grin on his visage in this shot. It then dawned on her, her face faulting, and a look of shock and horror on her face.

* * *

Gohan watched as his mother zipped around the kitchen, chopping, cooking, and humming. Goten sat by him, his mouth practically salivating, as he smelt his mother's cooking. As Chichi opened a cupboard to get another ingredient, she gasped.

"What is it kaasan?" asked Gohan, trying to peer over her shoulder from where he sat.

"I forgot to buy leeks," she said, rummaging through the pantry.

Both Gohan and Goten exchanged glances.

"We can get it for you," stated Gohan, standing up.

Goten nodded. "And visit neechan again!" he chorused.

"I thought we could go somewhere closer," said Gohan, peering at his little brother with sceptical eyes.

"Aww, I wanted to see neechan," said Goten, a saddened expression on his visage.

Gohan gave a smile.

"Okay, we'll visit Gochi-chan," he said, picking up his little brother.

"YAY!" yelled Goten, grinning and happy once again.

Chichi smiled.

"Okay you two. But be careful, and don't stay out too long. Gohan-chan, you need to study, remember?"

"Hai!" chorused both boys, exiting the front door.

Chichi smiled as they left. She then turned to her meal, pondering.

* * *

Bulma peered at the mechanical piece before her, pondering. This mechanical piece was none other than Tarrec's ship. She crouched down, looking into the interior of the space pod. She then hummed, getting down on all fours and crawling in, inspecting it. Vegeta entered then, his eyebrows arching at Bulma's crouched form. He walked closer, admiring the view for some time before Bulma's voice shattered his thoughts.

"Hey Vegeta-san, can you stop inspecting my ass and help me here," she said, her voice muffled by the space pod.

Vegeta grunted, leaning against her worktable.

"Why do you need my assistance for?" he asked, crossing his arms and staring down at Bulma's still-crouched form.

Bulma crawled back, turning to face him, arms crossed in a similar Vegeta-like pose.

"Because," she began, motioning to the ship. "This looks _nothing_ like a space pod I've seen."

Vegeta gave Bulma a sceptical look. He then gazed at the ship, seeing nothing of difference.

"It looks the same to me," he said.

"Outside," stated Bulma, turning to look at the ship. "But inside…" A look of thought crossed her face.

Vegeta sighed impatiently, crouching down from where he stood and peering into the ship. A look of surprise crossed his face as he noticed just how different the space pod interior looked. It looked… _better_ than Frieza's space pods of before. Standing, Vegeta's expression looked just as thoughtful as Bulma's.

"You think…" started Bulma.

"No," interrupted Vegeta. However a part of him was hopeful. "How is it possible?" he questioned, staring at Tarrec's space pod.

"This technology… is like none I've ever seen before," stated Bulma. "Those two have _some_ explaining to do."

* * *

"Neechan!" came Goten's voice as he pounced on Gochi through the roof access.

As normal, Gochi caught her little brother, chuckling as he hugged her around the neck. Gohan followed soon after, closing the roof access.

"Hey," he greeted, smiling at his sister.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here? Twice in one week, is it my birthday?" joked Gochi, rubbing noses with Goten, who laughed.

Gohan laughed also. "No, if it was, then I deserve just as much attention," he replied, nudging Gochi with his shoulder. "Have to go shopping, and Goten insisted to come here."

"Oh really," replied Gochi, giggling as she hugged her little brother. Walking out of the bathroom, they entered the hallway, Gochi placing Goten down, who ran, screaming Tarrec and Jinn's name, down the hall.

"He's taken a liking to them, hasn't he?" asked Gochi, smiling at her little brother's disappearing form.

Gohan nodded, giving an awkward smile. He remembered, after the three had gone, Goten had continually questioned both Saiya-jins about several different topics. Jinn had remained silent, staring at the jabbering Son; however, Tarrec answered most, if not all, the questions. They even shared the same love of food. During that few hours that both Gohan and Goten had remained there, Goten had become quite fond of Tarrec, and despite his quiet, serious nature, Jinn.

"So," began Gochi. "Shopping in the city?"

Gohan gave a nervous laugh. "I know, but Goten insisted."

Gochi smiled. "It's okay, I was going to go shopping today as well."

"Oh, grocery shopping?"

She shook her head. "Tarrec-san needs new clothes. He's been wearing the clothes Bulma-san gave him since he got here a week ago."

"Oh, so… we can go together?"

"Yeah, Jinn-kun wants to stay home though."

"Home?"

Gochi went silent, lulling over what she just said. "Oh… here… he wants to stay _here_," she corrected, laughing nervously, a hand rubbing the back of her neck.

Gohan sighed, shaking his head.

* * *

Videl lulled over the seemingly moot possibility that Son Gochi's brother could be the person responsible. She reflected on that thought, casting her mind back to the day they met. He was acting very strange: almost sporadic. He was nervous sometimes, silent the next. It was like he was trying to hide something. She also realised she had never gotten his name. Accidental or on purpose? Could it be that he did not _want_ to be named? And Gochi _was_ acting mighty peculiar…

She sighed, grabbing a box of biscuits and throwing it into her shopping trolley.

Could he be the culprit? Strong enough to lift _and_ throw a space pod so heavy into the air and _through_ tonnes of cement and earth? But… he seemed so… scrawny?

Humming, she reached into a bag hanging from her side and pulled out an audiovisual device. Earlier, she had gotten a screenshot of the image of the man responsible and uploaded it onto the device. That way, she could remind herself what he looked like. Peering at it, she cocked her head to one side.

For a felon, he was not that bad looking…

Videl shook her head. What was she thinking? Shoving the device into her bag, she strode forward towards the counters, ready to purchase her grocery shopping for the day. Normally the maid did such work, but today, she needed to get out and smell the…

Videl stopped short, her eyes wide in shock as she saw _him_ standing there, waiting in line. He was looking up, a thoughtful look on his visage. In his shopping basket, he carried leek. Only leek.

"Hey you!" Videl yelled.

Gohan's face twisted towards her, a look of mild surprise on his face. It then changed to one of greater surprise as Videl started running towards him. More out of instinct than anything else, Gohan yelled, turning towards the counter. The man before him had already paid and gone. Picking up the leek, Gohan threw it across the laser, which made a prompt beep as it passed, caught the leek, grabbed a plastic bag, and paid, all in a split second of time. A few seconds later, Videl ran past, on a vendetta to get Gohan. Meanwhile, the counterwoman stood, stunned. A moment later, her glasses fell askew.

_AHHHHH! Why is she chasing me?_ thought Gohan, running through the mall and dodging patrons, so as not to cause trouble with anyone. In his arms, he held the leek, wrapped in the plastic bag. Looking behind him, he broke into a sweat, seeing as Videl _still_ remained behind him.

_He's… so… fast…_ thought Videl, running after Gohan. Even her thoughts were tired. She could not believe someone who looked so… gaunt… could run this fast. Like Gohan, she avoided patrons in the shop.

Meanwhile, in another part of the shopping mall, Goten and Gochi waited outside the dressing rooms. Goten grinned, picking up a pair of men's trousers and tying the pant legs around his neck. He then amused himself, and Gochi, as he ran around, making flying noises.

Gochi giggled, staring at her little brother. She then looked up as she saw movement from the dressing rooms. Tarrec came out; arms outspread, looking down at him. He then looked to Gochi, grinning.

Gochi laughed nervously.

"That?" she asked.

"Yup!" he chorused, pulling on his collar.

"O… kay," said Gochi, laughing nervously still.

"Wow, Tarrec-san looks cool!" said Goten, looking up at Tarrec.

Tarrec ruffled Goten's hair.

"I like this little man," he said.

"Well… we'll go buy them then," said Gochi.

"Cool!" exclaimed Tarrec. He then looked at the clothes again. "Do I have to take 'em off?"

Gochi giggled, nodding. "I'm afraid so," she replied.

"Okay," he said, sounding disappointed. He walked into the dressing rooms just as Gohan entered, spotting his sister, and ducking behind the curtains. Tarrec let out a yell of surprise, followed by Gohan's bid of him to be quiet. Confused, Gochi peered at where her brother had just disappeared behind the curtain.

"Ano… Go –"

"Where is he?" interrupted Videl from behind Gochi. Her hair was tousled, her face flushed, and her chest heaving from the entire run.

"Wha?" asked Gochi, more confused.

"Your brother!" she said.

Gochi pointed to Goten, who grinned at her, the trousers still around his neck. Videl went silent for some time, and then regained composure.

"No! Your other brother! Your twin!" she cried.

_Don't tell her! She's a maniac! _came Gohan's voice.

"Ano… he's not here," she replied.

"I _saw _him run in here," she said fervently.

"Ano…"

"Tell me where he is!" she demanded. "This is a matter of governmental importance!"

_Oh great,_ thought Gochi, Gohan hearing her sarcastic remark.

"Well… I can't tell you 'cause… I really don't know…" said Gochi, laughing nervously.

Videl grew suspicious. Looking up, she saw the curtains. Looking down, she saw only one room occupied. Walking towards there, she grabbed the curtain.

_Oh no,_ thought Gochi, biting her lip.

As Videl opened it, a visible blush crossed her cheek as she saw Tarrec, back to her, wearing completely nothing. He stared at her strangely.

"What, never seen a naked man before?" he asked innocently.

She let out a stammered apology and closed the curtains, whirling around and walking promptly out of the store. Gochi, shocked, let out a mental sigh of relief.

_Gohan, where are you?_ she asked through mental link.

_Look up,_ came the reply.

Gochi did just that, seeing Gohan grappling the ceiling via the overhead beams. She smiled at him, thankful that Tarrec had picked the vintage store.


	14. Chapter 13: Part 1: The Instance Before

**The Unique Alliance**

**Disclaimer:** Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama, TOEI Animation, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA INC., FUNinmation.

**Disclaimer 2: **New characters, The Unique Alliance © Eileen Setiawan, H-san, Hina-chan (i.e. the author of the story)

**Disclaimer 3: **This story is only for recreational purposes. I do not intend to sell this to anyone/anything.

**Author's Note: **Although not _all_ lyrics corresponds with the story below, the song is a perfect "chase song" and thus, I have used it. And here's a little-known fact (it was to me anyway): Steriogram is a New Zealand group! 0o;;

And this is IMPOSSIBLY long. xX That is why, to limit the brain explosion per person, I have split it into TWO parts. The next part after this is the actual ending of this chapter, so that explain the ellipses after "Before" in this chapter and before "The" in the next.

And yes, I am also aware that the "chase" is only in the _later_ half of the chapters. But these incidents are pretty important to the story. So sorry I had to cram it all in this one chapter. Hopefully I don't induce brain explosions in anyone.

**PART 1 : The Kindness of Strangers**

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"**You're looking all around,**

**There is trouble to be found,**

**Make sure when you find it you get to say it loud…"**

** Steriogram – Walkie Talkie Man**

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**  
**

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN (Part One) – The Instance Before...  
**

Gohan sat down in Gochi's apartment, pondering last week's troubles. First there was the new Saiya-jin. Sure, he seemed nice enough, but still, it worried him knowing that Gochi had to handle _two_ Saiya-jins in her apartment… _alone_. Then there was this strange "incident" that Tarrec, Jinn _and _his twin sister was hiding from him: something bad… something to do with the government… something to do with that girl. That girl was yet _another_ trouble for Gohan. He feared stepping foot outside Gochi's apartment because he feared that around every corner, she would appear and chase him again. Why _was_ she chasing him anyway? What did he do? Well, whatever it was, he was going to get to the bottom of it, even if he had to force it out of his sister.

With a newfound resolve, Gohan stood up from the couch on which he sat, turning to the kitchen. There, Gochi was cooking up a storm for the occupants of the house, including her guests: her two brothers, grandfather and mother. Chichi was helping, and both were talking animatedly. Gyuumao sat in the lounge room as well, and he had looked away from the television and to his eldest grandson when Gohan had stood up.

"Something wrong Gohan?" asked Gyuumao at the serious expression on Gohan's face as he looked toward the kitchen.

It changed instantly.

"Huh?" he asked, that normal Son-like disposition spreading across his face as he looked at his grandpa. "Nah, nothing jiisan."

"You sure?" asked Gyuumao, concerned.

"Aha, just thinking," said Gohan, eyes closed in an expression of laughter.

Gyuumao gave a smile at the similarities, even small, between Gohan and Goku. That was when Goten decided to come in, laughing on the shoulders of an equally happy Tarrec.

"Oh, hi Gohan-san," he said upon seeing the older brother of his playmate. He then turned to Gyuumao. "Ah, you must be Goten's jiichan. He told me all about you," commented Tarrec, giving Gyuumao a friendly smile.

Gyuumao stood up, smiling equally as friendly and offering his hand.

"It's nice to meet you… ah…"

"Oh, Tarrec Tohma," introduced Tarrec, gripping onto Gyuumao's hand.

"Gyuumao," introduced Gyuumao, shaking.

After they shook hands, smiling at one another, Tarrec let go, shifting Goten's weight onto one shoulder.

"Well, Gohan, oyaji-san, must be off!" said Tarrec. With that he ran around the lounge room for some time and then down the hall, whooping, Goten's laughter in his wake.

"So that's the new arrival?" asked Gyuumao, turning to look at his grandson.

"Aha," said Gohan, blinking in the direction where Tarrec and his little brother had disappeared. He had completely forgotten what he had wanted to do a few moments ago.

"Where's the first one?" asked Gyuumao, having not seen the first with the second.

Gohan turned to his grandfather.

"Jinn?" he asked.

"Yes, that one," replied Gyuumao.

Gohan looked thoughtful. "I think…" he began. "Yeah, Jinn's with Bulma-san at Capsule Corporation. She said it was important. He'll hopefully be back in one piece," ended Gohan, laughing nervously.

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Meanwhile, in Capsule Corporation, Jinn loitered in Bulma's inventing room, leaning against the table much as Vegeta had been doing last week during Bulma's puzzling discovery. Like Vegeta, Jinn had his arms crossed, looking either bored, annoyed, or both at once: it was hard to tell with his expression. Bulma inspected the pod once again, poking at its insides. Meanwhile, Vegeta kept a protective eye on the scene. You could not trust a Saiya-jin: especially one that acted almost exactly like him. He knew how he had been like, Jinn may be the same.

"What do you want?" came Jinn's voice through the silence, ringing in the room before dying down.

Bulma stood up and then pointed to the ship.

"Yeah?" he questioned sceptically.

"It's different. _Very _different from the space pods I've seen. How is that possible?" asked Bulma.

"So? We have better technology? What's so important about that?"

"Yes, maybe it may not be _that_ important what with advanced technology and things getting better, but I've been told that Saiya-jins get their technology from an _outside_ source. You, with your _better_ space pods would only have to mean that either, one: you stole technology from another race to equip to your ships, or two: you made an alliance with _another_ race of people other than the Frieza race who have _much_ more better technology than him."

Jinn looked at the ship for some time, as if seeing something there that the normal eye could not see, then looked away, outside towards the Western Capital. He noted that, for a Sunday, it seemed so… busy.

"Jinn! Answer me!" yelled Bulma, planting her clenched fists on her hips and spreading her legs ever so slightly. She leaned in as she said it, almost nose-to-nose with the other Saiya-jin.

Jinn looked to her, glaring. Then sighed.

"The first one," he said. "We stole technology. You happy? Can I go now?"

"You _stole_ this technology?" asked Bulma sceptically. She was hoping for something more exciting.

"Yes, we _stole_ the technology. You'd think we would be _stupid_ enough to make the same mistake twice?" said Jinn sardonically.

Bulma pondered this question and then nodded.

"I guess you're right," she said disappointed. "So… Tarrec stole the technology and equipped it onto his ship? Was yours the same?"

Silence.

"No… we were separated. My ship… was different," he finally answered.

Bulma looked thoughtful.

"We still need to get your ship back, don't we?" she stated.

"You don't have to," he said. "Can I leave?"

This time, Bulma went silent for some time. Then she answered: "Yes… you can go."

Jinn turned to the door and walked out. Vegeta watched him go, turning his head as he walked down the hall, disappearing as he turned to the corner.

"He's lying," came Bulma's voice.

Vegeta turned to her. The expressions on both their faces were the same: all-knowing.

"I know," he answered.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After lunch, the family and two alien guests talked: well… at least Tarrec did. Jinn remained silent, almost more broody than normal. It concerned Gochi. She could never tell what he was thinking.

"So, how long have you known Jinn for anyway?" asked Gyuumao.

Tarrec looked thoughtful and then grinned.

"Since we were _this_ small," replied Tarrec, indicating with his forefinger and thumb. "We've known each other since before we were born. Apparently our parents, well… my kaasan… knew Jinn's parents before either of us were born. In fact, for the first five years of our lives, we hung around each other. Isn't that right Jinn-kun?"

Jinn was not paying attention.

"Jinn-kun?" asked Tarrec. "Anyone in there?" He waved his hand in front of his best friend's face rapidly.

"Hah? Wha?" asked Jinn looking around rapidly, his face looking uncharacteristically clueless.

"Tarrec-san was telling us about how you guys knew each other," explained Gochi, looking at Jinn with some concern.

"Oh… right," he said dismissively, looking distractedly out the dining room windows. After more talk between Gochi's grandfather and Tarrec, Jinn suddenly stood up, heading silently towards the door.

"You okay Jinn-kun?" called out Tarrec. Now he was growing concerned.

Jinn turned to him, still looking slightly distracted.

"Yeah… fine…" he said, then turned and left once again.

"That man can be rude," said Chichi staring after Jinn.

Gochi laughed nervously.

"Ah, don't worry. Jinn-kun's always like that. He's one distracted guy," explained Tarrec, trying to dismiss the feeling that something really _was_ wrong with Jinn.

"Well, I'll clean the dishes," said Gochi, standing up.

"I'll help," offered Chichi.

"Kaasan, you don't have to, you're a guest here. Plus, you already did half the cooking," stated Gochi.

"Nonsense," exclaimed Chichi, gathering up the dishes. "You helped out last week when you came to eat dinner with us. It's the least I can do."

The day that Videl and company had visited was also the day that Chichi had invited Gochi and company to eat dinner. Even though it was short notice, there was plenty of food to be shared around, especially because Chichi still habitually made extra amounts of food for Goku, before realising that her husband would not be coming to the dinner table. This fact saddened Gochi greatly, but Chichi had taken the bull by the horns, so to speak, and moved on swiftly for her remaining family. That was also the first day that Chichi had met the two Saiya-jins. Her first impression on Jinn was equal to the first impression Bulma had on him: nagging. Tarrec saw the humour in it, just as he did with Bulma, and continually answered Chichi's questions with _more_ questions.

Now, as Gochi and Chichi washed the dishes in her kitchen, she realised just how much her mother had changed. She was not as shielding as she was before. In fact, thought Gochi, smiling as her mother talked about Goten, not once that night had she commented on the Saiya-jins and their lodging at Gochi's apartment.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gochi waved goodbye to her family on the roof, Chichi sitting upon Kintoun with Goten in her lap. Her grandfather had left earlier on his air car, promising to meet the other three at Area 451. As Kintoun took off, Gohan gave one last grin and wave, flying up and following his mother and little brother on the yellow cloud.

Climbing in, Gochi walked to the lounge room. She walked past the dining room, stopping short as she spied on Jinn in the study, sitting down in the darkness, looking very elusive. Gochi looked around, and then looked back at him. He was completely unaware of her presence at the door. Gochi cleared her throat, causing Jinn to look her way. His eyes seemed to glow in that darkness as the light shining from behind her illuminated his eyes.

"Hn?" he asked, still sounding distracted.

"Are you… okay?" asked Gochi concerned.

"Un," came the short, blunt reply.

Gochi recoiled slightly, not even sure why she had done so. Every time he was like this, his words seemed to be filled with such… pain.

It was a strange feeling.

"Do you want to be left alone?" asked Gochi.

He simply nodded this time, slowly. Gochi gave a curt nod, turned and walked to the lounge room, where she sat down, pondering thoughts about Jinn's mood.

"Hey," came Tarrec's voice from behind.

Gochi turned her head, seeing Tarrec's friendly smile illuminate her vision. He was leaning on the back of the couch, hands crossed in front of him, bent down so that he was almost face-to-face with Gochi. She gave a similar smile in return.

"Hi," she replied, shifting so that she was face-to-face with him.

"Something's wrong with Jinn-kun, right?" he asked, reading Gochi's mind.

Gochi went silent, wondering if she was that obvious, then she nodded, giving a small sound of acknowledgement. Tarrec sighed, circling to the front of the couch and sitting next to Gochi.

"Welp, you're gonna have to talk to him," he stated, leaning his side on the cushion backing.

Gochi once again went silent, thinking over what he said. Her face then changed immediately.

"Wha! M – me? Why me?" she said, her face twisted into an expression of incredulity.

"Because, he talks to you," the Saiya-jin replied simply.

"He talks to you too," she argued.

"But he talks to you _more_. I mean, remember the second day I was here? You cured him faster than a…" Tarrec thought of a proper Earth term. "… a speeding bullet," he ended with a satisfied grin.

Gochi remained silent, her mouth moving open and closed, trying to think of an excuse out of this situation. She then sighed, nodding.

"Okay," she mumbled miserably.

Tarrec patted her head, an impish smile on his face. "Thas m'girl," he commented. "Meanwhile, I'm going to go out to town," he said, standing up and walking towards the bathroom.

"Hah?" asked Gochi, suddenly stumped. "B – but… you can't… you're…"

"Ah, don't worry bout it. I'll ask your brother," reassured Tarrec, from the kitchen doorway.

"Oh… okay," replied Gochi, still unsure as she watched Tarrec's slowly retreating form down the hallway.

Still sitting down on the couch, Gochi swallowed the seeds of doubt clouding her mind and headed towards the study room.

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As Tarrec flew to Area 451, he landed in the vicinity, walking towards the house. There he saw smoke coming from the chimney in the kitchen. He headed towards there, knocking. When the door opened, Tarrec looked down, seeing Goten in oriental clothes of blue and purple, with green lining on the top, and a white sash around his waist. He took one look at Tarrec, and his face lit up.

"Tarrec!" he yelled excitedly, bowling the Saiya-jin over.

Tarrec, on the ground, laughed, hoisting Goten up as he sat up.

"Hello little man!" he greeted.

"What's up?" asked Goten.

"I need to talk to your brother," explained Tarrec.

"'Bout what?" asked Goten, looking confused.

"I need to ask him an important question," responded Tarrec.

Goten grinned. "'Kay!" he answered, grabbing Tarrec's hand and yanking. Tarrec was surprised as he was jerked up by the boy's strength and dragged inside.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What?" asked Gohan, looking at Tarrec with an unbelieving expression.

"Aw, c'mon!" pleaded Tarrec. "I'm bored at your sister's house and she said if someone goes with me I can…"

"But I'm busy," explained Gohan, motioning to the books behind him.

"Then play hooky," suggested Tarrec.

Gohan gave Tarrec a sceptical look.

"Why don't you ask Trunks-kun's kaasan?" asked Goten who had been standing between the two, watching the conversation like a Wimbledon match.

"Oh yeah," said Tarrec in realisation. Gohan sighed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tarrec arrived at Capsule Corporation with Goten in his arms. He looked at the huge building, wondering how to enter without attracting too much attention. Goten, however, jumped out of Tarrec's arms and ran to the front. As he reached the CC compound he ran in with no thought. Tarrec, responsible of looking after the boy, ran in after him.

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"Goten! What are you doing here?" asked Bulma, looking around for Chichi.

Goten pointed behind him. Bulma looked up, seeing Tarrec walking up.

"He… flew you here?" asked Bulma, looking sceptical.

"Aha! I had to give him directions," explained Goten.

Bulma looked to the Saiya-jin who froze upon seeing Bulma.

"Princess!" he exclaimed.

Once again, Bulma felt that happiness wash over her. Princess. It felt good.

"Tarrec," began Bulma. "What's your business here?"

Tarrec scratched his cheek sheepishly. "I was wondering if Your Majesty wasn't busy…"

"Tarrec's bored at neechan's house so he wants you to show him around town!" exclaimed Goten, grinning between the two adults. "I'm gonna go see Trunks-kun!" he added, striding away.

Tarrec held a dumbfounded look on his face.

"Is that true?" asked Bulma, staring sceptically once again.

Tarrec stuttered, unable to give a proper answer. Bulma sighed.

"I'm sorry, but I'm busy. Maybe you can ask Gohan," suggested Bulma.

Tarrec opened his mouth, and then closed it again. "Right," he answered, giving her a smile. "I'll do that. Have a good day Princess." He bowed low, his right hand crossing over his chest. He then stood to his full height, turned, and walked away.

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Jinn brooded in the study room still, looking down at the desk.

"Jinn… kun?" came Gochi's meek voice through his dark thoughts. He looked up then turned his head, seeing the girl at the door.

"What?" he asked.

Once again, his eyes distracted Gochi, the questions fleeing from her minds. She shook her head mentally.

"Ano… do you want to talk?" she asked.

Jinn remained silent, looking away briefly then looking at her.

"Not really," he answered.

Gochi sighed a half-hearted smile on her face. "Well, do you want to eat?" she asked.

Without answering, Jinn stood up walking towards the door. Gochi moved out of his way as he exited, heading towards the kitchen. Gochi sighed once more, following him, and wondering why Tarrec had given her the difficult task of talking to a man who did not like to talk very much at all.


	15. Chapter 13: Part 2: The Chase

**The Unique Alliance**

**Disclaimer:** Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama, TOEI Animation, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA INC., FUNinmation.

**Disclaimer 2: **New characters, The Unique Alliance © Eileen Setiawan, H-san, Hina-chan (i.e. the author of the story)

**Disclaimer 3: **This story is only for recreational purposes. I do not intend to sell this to anyone/anything.

**Author's Note: **Although not _all_ lyrics corresponds with the story below, the song is a perfect "chase song" and thus, I have used it. And here's a little-known fact (it was to me anyway): Steriogram is a New Zealand group! 0.o;;

And this is IMPOSSIBLY long. x.X;;

And yes, I am also aware that the "chase" is only in the _later_ half of the chapters. But these incidents are pretty important to the story. So sorry I had to cram it all in this one chapter. Hopefully I don't induce brain explosions in anyone.

**PART 1 : The Kindness of Strangers**

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **

"**You're looking all around,**

**There is trouble to be found,**

**Make sure when you find it you get to say it loud…"**

** Steriogram – Walkie Talkie Man**

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**  
**

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN (Part Two) – … The Chase**

A whole day _all_ to himself!

Tarrec strode down the pathway, feeling free for _once_ in the time he had been on Earth. As he walked down, passers-by stared at him strangely, gathering in the unequal lengths of both pant legs, one longer than the other, and the equally strange top which looked like something from a Mills & Boon Casanova story. They then dismissed his clothing for cosplay, a subculture growing amongst the teenagers of today.

As he strode down Tarrec kept his eyes on the contents of each shop. He then stopped as he saw a noodle house, the aroma of the noodles wafting out of the shop and into Tarrec's nose. As if on cue, his stomach growled.

"Oh great," he grumbled, grabbing his stomach. He looked up into the shop again, seeing as people within the store slurped up the noodles and talked with those they ate with. Tarrec turned away, trying not to think about the food. But his stomach was already set on one thing: food!

He groaned as his stomach did. A laugh behind him caused him to turn around.

"You alright there?" asked an unfamiliar voice.

Tarrec turned seeing a platinum-haired young man, his face expressing amusement at the Saiya-jin's plight.

"Hungry," mumbled Tarrec, tears comically spilling from his eyes like two rivers.

The man laughed, looking into the noodle house.

"Well," he said, giving a smile. "I'm hungry myself and you look like a good guy. How about I shout you?"

"Shout me?" asked Tarrec, confused.

"Yeah, you know, I'll buy what you want. But keep it at a limit. I haven't gotten my pay check yet," responded the man, rubbing his neck sheepishly.

Tarrec's face lit up. "Cool!" he yelled childishly, rushing into the store and dragging his newfound friend in with him.

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Tarrec slurped up the noodles with a vengeance, gouging the food down his throat. The platinum-haired man stared strangely at him, his eyes blinking in amazement at the sheer velocity the man was eating at. Tarrec then stopped as he realised he was being watched. He gave a sheepish laugh.

"Sorry… hungry," he stated.

"I can tell," replied the man.

Tarrec laughed, then stopped as he realised the man's eyes. He peered in, causing the man to creep back.

"Wow…" said Tarrec.

"What?" asked the man.

"Your eyes… they look familiar."

The man gave an amused laugh. "Really? Most say they look _peculiar_."

"I've seen them on someone else before," he mused, trying to think hard. His mind saw eyes similar to the young man's, black with different-coloured rings around the pupil. But instead of the silver rings that the young man possessed they were a different colour… a blood-red…

His temples started pounding in pain as images came to his mind. Another young man. Brown hair. Friendly face. His eyes, they were…

"You okay?" asked the platinum-haired man, breaking through Tarrec's thought.

Tarrec's eyes opened wide as he realised he was still on Earth.

"Yeah… just…" replied Tarrec, holding his temples in pain. He then forced a smile. "Nothing."

The other man scratched his head, concerned and confused. "You sure?" he asked.

Tarrec nodded, waving nonchalantly. "Headache," he answered.

"Ah, hate those," answered the man, giving a wry smile.

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

As Tarrec and the man conversed, he found that the man was indeed _very_ familiar. He had seen a picture of him atop Gochi's desk, grinning into the camera much like the grin he gave Tarrec every once in a while. Tarrec mentioned this, causing great surprise in the man.

"You know Chi-chan?" asked the man, cocking his head to one side in both puzzlement and surprise.

Tarrec nodded. "Un, you see, she's…" Tarrec stopped short, remembering Gochi's words from the past, telling him what to say if ever anyone found out he knew her.

"… a family friend," ended Tarrec, lying with the untruth that Gochi had told him to say. "Well…" began Tarrec, realising he had gotten it wrong. "_I'm_ the family friend," he corrected, grinning at Diesel.

Diesel nodded slowly, as if in realisation.

"Oh, Chi-chan did tell me she had guests staying at her house. It's no wonder she's been having a hectic few weeks," mused the young man.

"What's your name anyway?" asked Tarrec, changing the subject.

The man pointed to himself, blinking obliviously. Tarrec nodded, causing the man to laugh.

"Diesel, Carber Diesel…" he answered. "I thought I already gave it," he laughed. Tarrec opened his mouth to reply. His eyes then went wide as he saw someone enter the shop. Grabbing the menu, he flipped it over his face, obscuring it from said person's view.

"E to… are you okay?" asked Diesel, peering at the menu that blocked Diesel's view of Tarrec's face.

"Mmhn," answered Tarrec quickly. "Just-don't-tell-her-I'm-here," he said, even more hurriedly, pointing past the menu over his face, past Diesel and to the door.

Diesel turned around, seeing a familiar face.

"Aw, c'mon, Vivi can't harm you," he said, smiling wryly at Tarrec. Diesel then cupped his hands over his mouth. "VIVI!" he yelled. The girl turned towards him, an angry look on her face.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" she yelled, stalking over to Diesel and the obscured man.

"Aw, c'mon, Vivi, it's just a little fun," he said, one arm dangling over the back of his chair as he turned his body halfway towards her, grinning up at the girl.

Videl sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "What do you want?" she asked, glaring down at Diesel as she crossed her arms.

Diesel's expression changed from jest to concern. "Something wrong Videl?" he asked.

Videl shook her head, sighing once again. "No… just…"

"Feel like the world's on your shoulders, ne?" asked Diesel, giving a wry smile. He leaned over to the chair perpendicular to both Diesel and Tarrec and pulled it out. "Sit down, lemme buy you something. Got my paycheck," he said. Tarrec broke into a cold sweat, still trying to eat his noodles and keep and the menu obscuring his view from the woman.

"It's okay, I'll be fine," she answered. Her attention then turned to the slurping figure behind the menu. She looked at him suspiciously. Diesel's laughter interrupted her musings.

"Gochi's family friend," he said.

"Really?" asked Videl.

"Uh-huh, he was hungry, so I thought I'd treat him," explained Diesel. "Guess he's shy around girls as well."

"How did you manage to understand him? He's from Amsterdam," stated Videl, still staring at him suspiciously. As if Tarrec could feel Videl's bad vibes emanating from behind the menu, he broke into a heavier cold sweat.

(1) "Ehrm, well actually, he spoke perfect Japanese," explained Diesel, scratching his cheek.

"Really?" asked Videl once again, her glare growing ever suspicious. Diesel seemed to detect the bad blood bubbling between the two. He coughed, growing slightly uncomfortable.

"Well, yeah, you know…" he started. He then gave a forced laugh, looking at Videl. "You look so tense. You seem really distant you know," explained Diesel, forcing the conversation back to her.

Videl looked at Diesel with a look of huffiness. "I am not, I'm just…"

Diesel gave Videl a sceptical look. Once again, she sighed.

"Fine, I'm going. I need to get working anyway," she said, turning to leave. Before she did, she gave one last look to Tarrec. She then walked to the exit and disappeared out the door.

Diesel sighed as the atmosphere grew serene once again.

"Well… that was interesting," said Diesel, grabbing the menu and yanking it from Tarrec's hand.

Tarrec gave a miserable sigh. "She's got something against Gochi, she has," he said, speaking in a way he had heard on a "pirate" show he had seen on television.

Diesel gave a wry smile. "Vivi's not the hardest person to get along with," explained Diesel. "She _is_ loyal when you do befriend her though, and you can trust her."

"How about when you're in her bad books?" asked Tarrec, pushing away his now empty bowl.

"Well… I wouldn't know," explained Diesel. "I'm neutral, you know…"

Tarrec groaned, running both hands down his face. "Well…" he began. "I should get back before Gochi-san realises I'm gone…"

Diesel stared in surprise. "She doesn't know?" he asked.

Tarrec's mouth gave way to nervous laughter.

"Yeah, well…"

Diesel chuckled. "Chi-chan's too nice to get angry at anyone. You'll be fine," said Diesel, taking out his wallet and placing it on a tray provided by the restaurant for patrons to place their bills on. He then stood up, Tarrec following suit. Both walked out of the restaurant together. Outside the door, in front of the restaurant, Diesel turned to Tarrec.

"You want me to give you a ride home?" asked Diesel, jabbing his thumb to his car.

Tarrec looked at the vehicle, and then shook his head.

"Nah, it's good. I'll find my way around," he said.

Diesel looked around the Western Capital, slightly sceptical; he then gave a nonchalant grin to Tarrec and offered his hand, which Tarrec took. "Nice meeting you Tarrec-san."

Tarrec nodded, grinning. "You too Diesel-san."

After they broke hand contact, Diesel turned towards his car. Tarrec watched him go, pondering about the previous headache. He then sighed and turned around, coming face to face with a familiar face.

"Ah crap," said Tarrec, staring at Videl.

"YOU" she yelled, jabbing a finger at Tarrec's face.

Tarrec gently grabbed her finger, replying: "You know… it's _really_ rude to point…"

Videl glared. "YOU'RE THE ONE THAT BROKE INTO THE GOVERNMENT FACILITY!" Tarrec cringed, a finger in his ear at her voice. He opened his mouth to respond, but found himself face-to-face with a very angry-looking girl.

_Scary_ he thought, frantically thinking of a way out. He then remembered something from one of those movies he had watched on television.

(2) Pointing his finger in a random location, Tarrec yelled: "Behold!"

Videl took the bluff, turning around to look. Tarrec immediately ran from her. It was then that Videl realised her utter stupidity.

"HEY" she yelled, running after the man.

Tarrec yelled in panic, dashing along the sidewalk. He saw Diesel up ahead, keys in car door, ready to go.

"Diesel-san!" he yelled, streaking past, a look of desperation on his face. Diesel blinked dumbly, then saw a fervent Videl running after him.

_Wow… Vi really does have a case against them…_ thought Diesel.

Feeling guilty, but only having a short amount of time to decide, Diesel opened his car door just as Videl came near. Videl stopped in her tracks to avoid the door.

"Oh, I'm sorry Vivi, you okay?" asked Diesel, fussing over Videl.

"I – you – him…" stuttered Videl, looking livid, as if Diesel had committed a felony.

"Hm?" asked Diesel innocently, smiling.

"AHHHH!" yelled Videl in frustration, pushing past Diesel and bolting after Tarrec.

"Touchy…" mumbled Diesel, stepping into his car and starting the engine. He had had a pretty weird day today. Gochi was sure to hear about this one.

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Meanwhile, Gochi and Jinn sat in the kitchen, Jinn eating and Gochi watching. He had his elbow on the table, leaning his head against his hand. Every now and then, his eyes would peer at the hybrid, who would look away.

Finally, he could not take the staring. She always did that when she wanted to say something. It was growing highly annoying.

"Why are you looking at me?" he asked, turning his whole face to look at her.

Gochi opened her mouth to say something. Nothing would come out.

_Tell the truth,_ she thought.

"I'm worried about you," she said, staying true to her thoughts. All the lying she had been doing was straining. It felt good to tell the truth.

Jinn looked sceptical.

"You've been acting weird… all day… well… not all day… but… ever since you came back from Bulma and Vegeta's house… not that I'm saying Bulma and Vegeta did anything…" trailed Gochi, stumbling on her words.

Jinn sighed, looking away, running a hand through his black hair. Her very presence was… aggravating… and yet. He closed his eyes, opened them, and then turned to her.

"I'll be in the shower," he answered shortly.

Gochi nodded, watching as he stood and turned to leave. Before he exited the room, he turned half his face towards her. She looked towards him.

"I've been thinking…"

"Thinking?"

He nodded, turned away and walked.

"Are they heavy?" she asked. He stopped. "If they are… maybe someday you'll be able to tell someone. You know, so they can lighten the load."

"Maybe…" mumbled Jinn, exiting the room, and Gochi's sight.

Gochi sighed inwardly, collecting Jinn's half-finished meal, and keeping it heated in the oven.

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

The chase between Tarrec and Videl went on for some time, the girl somehow managing to catch up to the much faster Saiya-jin. She did so by knowing the city, something, which Tarrec could admit, he did not know much of.

Tired and out of breath, Tarrec stopped at a corner, hands on knees and puffing. He had not had a workout this hectic since his days in training. He looked behind, seeing he had managed to lose the girl. Grinning, he turned around to waltz off much like those he had seen on the television, but after seeing Videl running up, screaming for him to stop, he stopped dead in his tracks. Tarrec groaned, and without any other options, ran into a lane to his right. Videl smirked.

An alleyway.

She was his…

Or so she thought.

As Videl entered the alleyway, she let out a sound of confusion, seeing absolutely no one there. She peered around, her head shifting from left to right multiple times.

"Where did he…?" she asked herself.

From above, Tarrec sighed, sitting back on the roof of the building.

"Well… I'm never doing that again…" he commented, lying back and looking up at the dusk sky. He wondered how the other two were doing back at Gochi's apartment.

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

(1) I know… they don't speak Japanese and I'm writing in English, but the original Dragonball Z was a _Japanese_ show… so yeah… you get the gist (Gist… I _hate_ that word…).

(2) Uhm… this is from "Black Knight" where Martin Lawrence used it to distract two guards from capturing him. Ehehe: "Behold!"


	16. Chapter 14: Part 1: A Moment of Clarity

**The Unique Alliance**

**Disclaimer:** Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama, TOEI Animation, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA INC., FUNinmation.

**Disclaimer 2: **New characters, The Unique Alliance © Eileen Setiawan, H-san, Hina-chan (i.e. the author of the story)

**Disclaimer 3: **This story is only for recreational purposes. I do not intend to sell this to anyone/anything.

**Author's Note:** BulmaxVegeta fluff! Yay!

There's two pieces of lyrics in this one just for these two for crying out loud! XD The other set of lyrics comes along before the part with the fluffiness. So, if you don't like fluffiness, and much more importantly, don't like the BV pairing (are you mental?), then stop there! But you have to keep in mind, it's really not that fluffy.

**PART 1 : The Kindness of Strangers**

* * *

"**We arrive at this place,**

**Of no return, my brothers,**

**Only to discover that our minds have led us away,**

**So far from the painful truth of who we are… "**

** Epiphany – Bad Religion**

* * *

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN (Part One) – A Moment of Clarity**

Videl nibbled on her waffle, deep in thought. Her father was already gone for his "duties". She sighed, placing her fork down and picking up her orange juice, drinking it in one go. She then noisily placed the cup down on the table, noticing how miserable she felt.

Twice, she had run into the suspect. Twice, he had gotten away. Both times she had met someone connected to Gochi. That man _was_ him: the man in Gochi's apartment. But she couldn't just barge into her apartment and arrest them. She needed irrefutable proof. A photo. Something! She needed a comparison shot of the man.

Then there was Capsule Corporation. Why was Capsule Corporation involved? She needed to investigate. Grabbing her knife and fork she cut into her waffles with a vengeance, eating just as heartily.

She would go to Capsule Corporation. Today. And she would get to the bottom of this messed up mess!

* * *

"What?" asked Gochi, holding the phone up to her ear, a look of shock on her face.

"Uh-huh," came Diesel's reply over the phone. He could hear Gochi groan on the other end.

"Gomen Diesel-kun," she apologised.

Diesel laughed. "Nah, it's good Chi-chan. I had fun with Tarrec-san. Just making sure he got home okay."

Gochi turned her attention to the lounge room, where both Saiya-jins sat, Tarrec watching television as Jinn yawned, looking bored. "Yeah, he's at home. I just thought that he went to Mt. Pauzu and that was it…"

"Ahaha, well… Tarrec is a pretty rare name… and that _was_ Tarrec."

Gochi smiled. "Thanks for that Diesel-kun."

"No problem." There was a pause on the phone, where Gochi could hear Diesel's uncle Axel's voice in the distance. "Hey, I got to go now. Uncle's calling me in to work," came Diesel's voice.

"I figured as much," replied Gochi, smiling into the receiver. "Okay, I'll see you around?"

"Yeah sure. Bye Chi-chan," farewelled Diesel.

Gochi bid her farewell, both hanging up the phone at the same time. She sighed, peering at the two Saiya-jins. She knew it was unfair to keep them cooped up in her apartment, but what else could she do? As she watched them from afar, her mind had a "eureka moment".

Although, what would Bulma have to say on that matter?

* * *

"Gochi, are you sane?" asked Bulma into the receiver.

Gochi's nervous laughter responded to her answer.

"It worked on tousan and Piccolo-san," she answered.

"They're residents of Earth," said Bulma gratingly.

"Ano… Piccolo-san doesn't really have an official…"

"I KNOW!" snapped Bulma.

Gochi laughed again. "But… their cooped up in the apartment all the time…" explained Gochi, looking towards the two Saiya-jins. They did indeed look very much bored.

Bulma sighed. "I know Gochi. And your idea would sound okay, but…"

"But?"

"Driving lessons?"

Gochi laughed nervously once again. "Ano…" she replied.

Bulma sighed once again. "Look, I'll agree, but I can't supervise you. I'm loaded with work today, not to mention I got this strange call from Videl Satan. I can't even imagine what she wants scheduling a meeting with me," explained Bulma.

Gochi realised then that Bulma sounded exhausted. A mother. A President of her company. The wife of a Saiya-jin warrior, a Prince no less. And her involvement in the Saiya-jin affairs running riot around the media? Gochi understood she was in a very compromising position, figuratively and when Videl came around, most probably literally.

"It's okay. I'll find a way to get there on my own," reassured Gochi, smiling into the receiver even though she knew Bulma could not see. She at least hoped her voice sounded reassuring.

Bulma's voice seemed a little calmer when she spoke: "Okay, thanks Gochi. I'll see you when I come around to check on the apartment."

"Hai, bye Bulma-san."

After Bulma bid her farewell and both hung up, Gochi turned to the Saiya-jins. Her eyes went wide in mild surprise as she realised they had been watching her on the phone. She wondered for how long.

"Who was that?" asked Tarrec, a curious look on his visage.

Gochi smiled. "Bulma-san, I was just asking if I could possibly allow you two to get out sometime."

"Isn't that dangerous?" asked Jinn, his attention already turned away from Gochi as he stared at the pictures on the television. His voice was, as usual, monotonous and blunt.

"Ano… well… I believe we'll be okay. As long as you don't do anything out of the ordinary. Plus, Videl-san will be around Bulma-san's house today," explained Gochi, scratching her cheek.

"Where're we going?" asked Tarrec, looking excited at the prospect of doing something _other_ than watch television and wander aimlessly around the house.

"I was thinking… of taking you driving…"

* * *

Videl walked through the Western Capital streets, fumbling around with the audio-video device in her hand. The picture of the suspect flickered on its small LCD screen, just in case she ran into him again. Much to her chagrin, by the time she reached the Capsule Corporation building, she had only managed to incriminate the wrong people, one of them an off-duty policeman. She sighed miserably, trudging up to the door of CC. She hoped to God that it would be better inside the building than the walk _to_ it.

Reaching the front door, Videl knocked in rapid succession.

No answer.

She waited for several seconds in her position in front of the door. When no one came, she sighed, crossing her arms, turning around and walking forward, loitering just outside the front door. She stared out into the vast city, waiting and tapping her foot impatiently. After several minutes, she grew impatient and whirled around to knock again when the door swung open. She came face-to-face with… no one.

She looked around, her head darting from left to right.

_Don't tell me they're into this Addams Family thing?_ thought Videl.

A gasp then emitted from her mouth as a young voice yelled: "Hey!"

Videl looked down. There, holding the door handle and a sour expression on his face was a purple-haired young boy. Bulma Briefs' son.

"Oh… you must be Trunks," said Videl, bending down to his height and smiling. "I'm Videl Satan." She placed her hand out in a gesture of friendliness.

Trunks looked at the hand, then at her face.

"Satan? Oh, so you're that ugmo's daughter, huh?" asked Trunks.

Videl shot up, erect, a look of insult on her face.

"How dare you –"

"Whatever. I'm guessing you're the person my kaa-san wants to see then," interrupted Trunks, walking into the building and disappearing into the shade.

Videl stood at the door shocked. That little boy was insulting her father! Insulting her! The nerve of that brat to say things like that! After all her father had done, he had so much bravado to…

"Hey!" interrupted Trunks' voice as his head appeared at the door again. "Are ya coming in or what?"

Videl huffed angrily, entering into the Capsule Corporation building. The minute she stepped foot inside, she was blown away by the sheer enormity of the building.

_It's even bigger inside!_ she thought, trying to compare the building to her own, but somehow managing only to stare in awe.

"Are you just going to stand there with your mouth gaping open, or are you going to follow?" asked Trunks.

Videl snapped back to reality, glaring at Trunks. This boy was indeed a brat. Probably spoiled as well. As she stalked towards him, she was surprised to hear the voice of another young boy. But this one seemed familiar… too familiar…

"Trunks-kun!"

Videl turned her head to the left, her eyebrows shooting up as she saw the familiar figure of Gochi's little brother, Goten, running towards them.

"What's up?" asked Trunks.

"Why'd you leave? I was just about to beat you!" complained Goten, stopping by his best friend's side.

"Yeah right!" replied Trunks, grinning, almost cockily. "You can't beat me, I'm stronger than you!"

"No you're not! I beat you last time!"

"No that was a tie. Plus I'm the one that got the 'saurus in the head."

"That's only cause you tricked me."

"Well, I'm not the one that believed there was cake in the tree log."

_Those stories he told us… _thought Videl, over the two young boys' bickering. _Could they have been real?_

It was then that Trunks realised his duties to his mother had to be fulfilled, and Goten realised the familiar face of Videl.

"Ah, it's you!" stated Goten, pointing at Videl's face as a grin spread across his own.

"Yeah, kaa-san wanted me to take her to the inventing room," explained Trunks.

"But… why?" asked Goten, scratching his head.

"Beats me, ask her, why don't you."

"Why are you here to talk to Bulma-san?" asked Goten, turning his attention towards Videl.

Videl opened her mouth, and then closed it. She couldn't tell _them_? They were kids for crying out loud! Plus, what was Gochi's little brother doing here? He _did _say Trunks was his best friend, but she believed that to be conjecturing on the little boy's part.

"Ah she's probably just here to try to rectify for her father ugmo's mistakes," explained Trunks.

Goten nodded, a look of understanding on his face.

"Why you –"

"Well," interrupted Trunks, walking forward. "Let's go!" Goten followed after Trunks, laughing.

Videl stood in the foyer of the house for some time, shocked and appalled at the rude, abysmal and nonchalant behaviour towards her father. Didn't they know what he did? If he hadn't saved the Earth, they wouldn't even be born!

"Hurry up!" came the distant voice of Trunks in a singsong voice. "Or you'll get lost and die and then we'll have to find your body!

Growling and glaring, she followed in their stead, jogging to catch up to the two young boys.

* * *

"Wow, this is fun!" exclaimed Diesel, sitting in the driver seat with Gochi in the passenger's. "I find it hard to believe you two can't drive!"

"Well," began Tarrec. An abrupt "ooof" was then heard as Jinn kicked Tarrec's leg, _hard_. "Nope… nope… can't drive," added Tarrec, rubbing his shin as Jinn glared.

"Jeez, I couldn't _wait_ to drive, to tell you the truth," exclaimed Diesel, looking into the rear view window to look at his passengers sitting in the backseat.

"Yeah well…" said Tarrec. He then laughed. "Late bloomer," he finally said, remembering that from a movie.

"A late bloomer, eh?" repeated Diesel. "Well, that's okay. Some people said I grew up _too_ fast."

"That's not true," interjected Gochi, smiling at Diesel from her seat.

Diesel laughed. "Yeah, well, Chi-chan, you're too nice so of course you'd say no."

"Seh?" asked Gochi, blinking dumbly as Diesel laughed.

Right now they drove down the highway, heading towards the driving school located someway from Satan City in a location that once used to be a racing circuit. Many a time, Diesel had dreamt of racing on the tracks, but once it had turned into a driving school he knew that dream was dashed. Heading towards there now, Diesel half hoped he would find no driving school there.

After Gochi has explained to the two Saiya-jins her plans of letting them learn how to drive, Tarrec had been excited, wanting to know how to handle the vehicles of Earth. She then explained how Bulma could not escort them today, and therefore, they had to find their own way to get to the driving school. Tarrec had suggested her grandfather, but Gochi explained that he lived far away and she did not want to put too much strain on him. He then suggested numerous other people, who similarly, lived either far away or could simply _not_ drive. It was then that Tarrec suggested the new friend he had met just the other day: Diesel Carber. At first, Gochi was hesitant, but with Tarrec's insistence, Gochi called her friend.

It seemed, despite his uncle Axel's solicitation of assistance, Diesel was really doing nothing at all. After inquiry, Axel allowed Diesel to go out. Once he arrived on the roof, he was introduced to a new member of the group: Jinn.

"Anywho," exclaimed Diesel. "Jinn, eh? Any last name with that?"

Jinn remained silent, staring out the window.

"Ketsuya," came Tarrec's voice.

Jinn's head snapped in his direction, deadly and steely.

"Jinn Ketsuya? Nice," commented Diesel, nodding.

* * *

"**It's on your face, is it on your mind**

**Would you care to build a house of your own?**

**How much longer, how long can you wait?**

**It's like you wanted to go and give yourself away…"**

** The Fray – Heaven Forbid**

* * *

Bulma sighed, leaning back on her office chair and placing her hand over her eyes. She was tired, exhausted. She needed rest. She needed sleep. She felt the world on her shoulders, pushing down harder and harder as each second ticked by on the clock.

_Tick, tick…_

Bulma's hand removed itself from over her eyes as she looked at the ceiling.

_Tick, tick…_

That incessant ticking was starting to _really_ annoy her…

**_Tick, tick…_**

Growling, Bulma sat straight up, lunging for the clock, and with as much strength as she could muster, throwing it to the other side of the room. Unfortunately, the direction in which she threw the clock just happened to be the doorway where Vegeta was just entering into the room. Luckily, due to Vegeta's blood heritage as a Saiya-jin, he was able to catch the clock before any harm could be dealt. He then looked at the apparatus with confusion, his eyes trailing up to where his mate sat, breathing heavily in and out, a look of sheer frustration on her face. Confusion turned to scepticism.

"First it was books, now it's clocks. What next, chairs?" asked Vegeta, placing the clock down as he walked into the room.

Bulma groaned, placing her hand in her palms. "Please don't pick a fight Vegeta… I don't think I could handle it."

Vegeta allowed some slight concern to flicker on his visage, but hid it once again as Bulma looked up.

"What do you want?" she asked, leaning back on her chair and crossing her arms and legs in a show of defiance. He knew she was not going to follow any "requests" he decided to give. In fact, he really did not know why he was in here.

"Just seeing if you discovered anything about that Saiya-jin's ship," he lied, in fact not really sure why he was in there. In reality, half of him felt slight concern for Bulma's current position.

Bulma sighed, standing up and walking to the back of the room. Vegeta followed, realising Bulma had hidden the ship from sight by placing several of her large instruments there. For an extra precaution, Bulma had placed a sheet over it, which she now pulled off, revealing the stripped ship. Bulma had stripped off some layers of the outer coating, testing the durability, malleability and overall properties of the metal. So far, she had found it to be much like every other Saiya-jin space ship she had encountered. Only, this one, she believed, was a lot more special than that.

"Well…" started Bulma, cocking her head to one side and inspecting the ship. "Like every other ship, it's designed to withstand extreme amounts of temperature. Every test yields the same figure as the last ship I've inspected. Luckily I kept those records on file. Thing is, inside is where it becomes so much more intriguing. There's new controls, new systems… overall it's so much more hi-tech than anything I've ever seen. I can't seem to pinpoint how and why, but it's like… otherworldly." Bulma sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She felt a tension headache coming along.

Unbeknownst to Bulma, Vegeta was more interested in watching her. She seemed so tired. As Bulma stood, as if contemplating heavy thoughts, Vegeta's eyes shifted up looking towards the ceiling. His Saiya-jin pride did not allow himself to do what he was just about to do. But that side of him that cared for his mate's wellbeing let himself let go of his pride for just this once as he placed a hand on Bulma's head. Bulma's eyes went wide as her head shot up. She turned to him. His face, as always, wore that harsh look, but his eyes looked slightly sympathetic.

"Don't stress," he said bluntly.

She opened her mouth to reply, but was stopped short as Vegeta turned his attention towards the door. He let go, walking forward.

"Hide the ship. You have a visitor," he said, grabbing both ends of the towel around his neck.

As Bulma watched his form departing, she smiled. She then threw the cloth over the ship and walked to catch up to where Vegeta and her supposed visitor waited.


	17. Chapter 14: Part 2: A Moment of Clarity

**The Unique Alliance**

**Disclaimer:** Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama, TOEI Animation, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA INC., FUNinmation.

**Disclaimer 2: **New characters, The Unique Alliance © Eileen Setiawan, H-san, Hina-chan (i.e. the author of the story)

**Disclaimer 3: **This story is only for recreational purposes. I do not intend to sell this to anyone/anything.

**Author's Note:** I just realised, it would be WAY too long to write this whole thing in one chapter. So, I split the chapters up. There will probably be THREE parts to Chapter Fourteen. . Don't kill me… T.T

**PART 1 The Kindness of Strangers**

* * *

"**We arrive at this place,**

**Of no return, my brothers,**

**Only to discover that our minds have led us away,**

**So far from the painful truth of who we are… "**

** Epiphany – Bad Religion**

* * *

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN (Part Two) – A Moment of Clarity**

"We're here!" yelled Diesel, braking his parked car and turning off the engine.

The two Saiya-jins opened their respective doors, climbing out of the car. Diesel did likewise, jogging over to Gochi's side of the car and opening up the car door. Gochi stared at Diesel with a mixture of scepticism and exuberance.

He grinned. "M'lady," he joked, bowing down and giving out his hand.

"Thanks," she said laughingly, grabbing his hand and stepping out of the car. Diesel laughed also, closing the car door behind her. He then sighed, mournfully looking at the driving school.

"I'm sure you'll be able to race on _a_ track someday," remarked Gochi, patting Diesel on the back.

"But I want to race on _this_ one," he wailed.

Gochi laughed sympathetically, continuing to pat him on the back as he sighed miserably.

"Well," began Diesel, turning to the two Saiya-jins who stared at the driving school, Tarrec awed and Jinn apathetic. "Let's get you two booked into the school, ne?"

"Yahoo!" cried Tarrec, racing forward towards the complex.

"Baka," mumbled Jinn, watching as Tarrec disappeared into the distance.

Diesel laughed. "Your friend's lively," he commented, looking to Jinn, and then walking after Tarrec.

Jinn sighed, trudging forward after Diesel. He then turned to Gochi, who stood, contemplating.

"Are you coming?" he asked bluntly.

"Seh?" asked Gochi, as if just coming out of a semi-trance. She then smiled as she saw Jinn staring sceptically at her. "Right," she said, walking next to him. As she reached Jinn, he walked forward, the two of them walking to the complex side-by-side.

* * *

Bulma sighed, trying to take Vegeta's words of sentiment to heart but it seemed the presence of Videl Satan caused her _more_ reason to stress. Videl had her arms crossed in defiance, most probably due to Trunks' snide comments, as the girl had claimed. She also questioned the reasoning of Gochi's little brother at Capsule Corporation too.

"Well, Gochi lives in Bella Vita Apartments, one of the more prestigious, and may I add, CC-owned apartment buildings in Satan City. Who do you think put her there?" stated Bulma, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"How long have you known her?" asked Videl, pouting at Bulma's tone.

"Since she was a little girl. Her father and I were good friends. Why do you need to know?" Bulma asked her voice now more exhausted.

"Were?"

"My tou-san," began Goten, the congregation turning to him. "He died before I was born," he said, smiling still.

Videl went silent. "Oh," she said soon after.

Bulma sighed inwardly. Goten's voice then spoke up once again:

"I think she thinks neechan's doing somethin' wrong."

He and Trunks had been watching the conversation from the outset. Goten was there for reason's unknown, most probably to stay with his best friend, who had been told by Vegeta to stay in the room. Vegeta, on the other hand, had left to train, preferring not to answer any questions from the Satan girl. Her father's face and voice everywhere he went was enough for him to take.

"Is that so?" asked Bulma to Goten, her eyes darting to gauge Videl's reaction.

"Uh-huh, she came over before and she was asking Gochi all _sorts_ of questions!" explained Goten, grinning up at Bulma, happy that he was part of the "adult's conversation".

"All sort of questions?" repeated Bulma. "What kind of questions?"

Videl tried to keep a nonchalant exterior, but if Bulma found out the reasons why she was here, she could, and probably _would_ get kicked out of her property. Plus it ruined _her_ element of surprise.

"Uhm, stuff like –"

"I'm sure," interrupted Videl, all three other occupants in the room turning to face her. "That you don't need to know that," she ended, her face intensely gazing at Bulma.

Bulma smiled politely. She had a feeling what Goten was going to say. She decided to play by this feeling.

"I heard you've been investigating new leads into whatever happened in South City… am I correct?" asked Bulma, the polite smile etched on her face, reflecting no fatigue, no wariness. Just serenity. Bulma eased herself, trying to gauge the reaction of the girl before her: sixteen and already so fiercely determined. It reminded Bulma of her at that age.

Videl sighed. Cover blown. She would rectify the situation, calmly and rationally.

"Yes," answered Videl, her voice slightly more tense. "I am."

"And what leads are they, pray tell?" asked Bulma, gesturing with her hand.

"I believe the inci… things are… connected," said Videl, trying not to let leak any information that did not need to be known.

"What things?" asked Trunks, butting in before Bulma could ask her question. Bulma laughed, placing a hand on her son's head.

"It's okay Trunks, you and Goten can play now. I'll be fine," reassured Bulma.

"But papa said I should stay," stated Trunks.

"Don't worry, if papa sees you, just say that I'm feeling better," responded Bulma.

Trunks hesitated, then nodded, turning to leave with a passing: "C'mon Goten."

"Okay!" responded Goten, following Trunks out. As the two disappeared, Bulma turned her attention to Videl.

"Yes Videl… I agree with my son, what things?" asked Bulma, crossing her arms in a manner of as much defiance as Videl.

* * *

Gochi and Diesel leaned on the railing, watching, as Tarrec and Jinn stood in front of two familiar instructors, familiar to Gochi at least.

"Hey, they still work here," said Gochi, voicing her thoughts out loud.

"Yeah, they've been working here for a while, 'specially that old man," explained Diesel.

"Really?" asked Gochi, looking at Diesel.

Diesel nodded. "He was my uncle Axel's instructor when uncle was a teenager," he said, scratching his cheek.

"Wow," said Gochi, looking again at the scene.

By that time, Tarrec and Jinn were sitting in the passenger's seat of their respective instructor's cars. Jinn was with the old man. Tarrec with the woman.

"Okay," said the woman. Her nametag read "Ginger". "Well, my name is Ginger," she confirmed, gesturing to herself with both hands. "And I will be your instructor. First, I'm going to show you how to drive, then you can drive after me and I will inspect you," she said, smiling at Tarrec.

Tarrec nodded. "Okay," he said, shrugging.

"Good," she said, that pleasant smile still on her face. As she started the car, put it into drive mode and gripped the steering wheel, her face transfigured into ferocity.

"YEAH!" she yelled, pushing on the accelerator, _hard_. The car went zooming forward, Tarrec gripping onto the side door for dear life.

Meanwhile, Jinn sat on the passenger side, resting his head on his hand as he leaned it against the open window. He just got in the car and the man was _already_ boring him.

"Hello, young man," said his instructor, sitting himself down in the seat. He groaned with the groaning seat. This man really _was_ old. "Well, my name is Yuzukaa," introduced the man, pointing to his nametag. Jinn looked at the tag, reading the name. "And I will be your instructor."

Jinn grunted in acknowledgement. Even the way he spoke was slow and boring.

"I will drive first," explained Yuzukaa. "And then, you will drive after me while I inspect you from the passenger side."

The man started the car, putting it into drive mode. He then pressed the accelerator gently, the car starting off with a small jolt before driving up, slowly.

_This is going to be a _long_ day,_ thought Jinn, sighing as he looked out the window.

_I'm in a car with a madwoman!_ thought Tarrec as the car lurched forward, just passing a red light.

Tarrec let out a cry of panic as he saw a corner coming up. At the speed she was at, only driving manoeuvres of a racing car driver could turn it. Luckily, for Tarrec, Ginger was mad enough to turn it _and_ get through it all at once, all the while yelling for the other cars on the road to get out of the way.

When the car came to a screeching halt, causing both occupants, more Tarrec than Ginger, to lurch forward, she put the drive in park and turned to Tarrec, that pleasant smile on her face.

"Now, it's your turn," she said.

Tarrec had his head down, his eyes shadowed from Ginger's eyesight. As he looked up, they seemed changed. Although, unfortunately for Ginger, she did not detect the change. Tarrec merely got out of the passenger side, walking slowly over to the driver's side as Ginger shifted to the passenger side. As he sat in the driver seat, he went through the routine motions: seat belt, chair, side and rear view mirrors. However, as he put the car in drive and gripped the steering wheel, his expression seemed so much more menacing.

"Well, you want to drive like a maniac…" said Kordal slowly, grinning at Ginger and showing fanged canines. Ginger seemed slightly wary. "LET'S DRIVE LIKE MANIACS!" he yelled, turning to the front of the car and pressing the accelerator down as the car lurched forward much in the same manner as Ginger's start.

Meanwhile, Jinn had fallen asleep as the car came to a halt. Yuzukaa turned to his student, surprised to see the young man sleeping. Grabbing Jinn's shoulder, Yuzukaa shook causing Jinn to open his eyes. As he realised they has already stopped, he cracked his neck, sitting straight.

"Young man! Have you been listening to anything I've been saying?" said Yuzukaa.

Jinn nodded, not really listening. _I zoned out at the point when you were driving 10 under that stupid sign…_ he thought, running a hand through his head.

"Well, against my better judgement, I'll take your word for it," said Yuzukaa, stepping out of the driver's seat.

Jinn did likewise, walking over to the driver's as Yuzukaa went to the passenger's. As Jinn sat down, he yawned, putting on the seatbelt and doing all the other stuff he had to do, most half-heartedly. As he put the car in drive, he turned to look at the sign. It read 60.

"Do all your passengers fall asleep?" mumbled Jinn, accelerating the car to the proper speed, leaning his arm against the open window.

As Jinn reached a red light, however, he was surprised to find Tarrec next to him. Jinn paid him no mind: he would only get distracting. However…

"Jinn-chan!" said the singsong voice of, as Jinn knew it to be, Kordal.

Jinn turned his attention to the man in the other car. Sure enough, Kordal stared out through the eyes that once belonged to his best friend.

"What are you doing out?" snapped Jinn.

"I'm having fun," he said simply, grinning and baring fangs.

"Young man, concentrate," said Yuzukaa, sensing the tension in his student.

"C'mon, let's race!" said Kordal. "From this light to the very end. Diesel did say this was a racing track once, eh?"

"No," said Jinn simply, forcing himself to turn his attention away from Kordal.

"Aw, c'mon. Don't tell me wittle Jinn-chan's scared," he mocked. "Race me y'pussy!"

Jinn stared forward, wanting to grind Kordal to the dust. He went against this judgement and stared at the light, still red. As they turned green, Jinn heard Kordal's mockery once again.

"CHICKEN!" yelled Kordal over the gunning of his engine. Soon after, he heard Kordal making chicken sounds as the car raced off.

Pissed off to no end, Jinn grit his teeth, gripping the steering wheel and accelerating with a lurch. Yuzukaa yelled in both surprise and horror as Jinn raced towards his best friend's sub-personality. It was not long before Jinn caught up, the two of them weaving in and out of traffic where other people were learning to drive. Kordal laughed maniacally, drifting around corners, using the drag of other cars to speed up. Jinn did likewise, glaring angrily at Kordal.

Meanwhile, the two instructors each had their own reaction to the two Saiya-jin's driving. Ginger seemed ecstatic, praising the skills of her patron. Yuzukaa gripped his chest, yelling for Jinn to slow down.

However, both Saiya-jin's simply ignored them, driving through the raceway-turned-driving-course. On the sidelines, Diesel watched them with a mixture of awe and admiration. Gochi bit her lip, concerned for the wellbeing of the Saiya-jins, the instructors and the others on the road.

The Saiya-jins continued their racing, all the way to the end of the circuit, which ended in a circular like fashion. Kordal and Jinn both gauged the distance, slamming on the brakes and turning their cars in a 180° fashion, both of their cars causing a graceful arch as they headed towards one another. Yuzukaa and, by this time, Ginger screamed in horror as the two cars advanced towards one another, growing closer and closer until the tyres screeched to a grinding halt, only several centimetres between each vehicle.

As the smoke from the tyres cleared, Kordal was now Tarrec, grinning. He killed the engine, taking off the seat belt.

"Wow, that was fun," he commented, turning to Ginger, who held a look of shock on her face as she stared at the driver side of Jinn's car, mere centimetres away from where she sat. Tarrec exited out his door, observing his handy work and grinning.

Jinn, meanwhile, took off his belt, and unable to get out of the car, stood on the driver's seat and flipped over the front window, sliding off the front and landing. Meanwhile, Yuzukaa stood at the passenger's side, breathing in and out and trying to calm his racing heart. Jinn glared at Tarrec, who looked at him with a look of scepticism.

"What?" asked Tarrec, shrugging as if he had not done anything.

Jinn growled in frustration, shaking his head and about to walk away when Diesel's voice stopped him.

"Hey guys," he said, jogging up to them. Jinn turned around to the voice as Tarrec merely turned his head towards him. "That was awesome," commented Diesel, grinning. "You gotta teach me someday."

Tarrec laughed bashfully as Jinn sighed.

* * *

Videl sighed irritatingly, sitting on a bench somewhere in the Western Capital. It seemed that Bulma had duped her somehow. She could not get a single word in as Bulma, the interrogated, turned into the interrogator. Videl took a sip of her hot chocolate, sighing.

"Now what…" she mumbled, looking to the sky.

She then realised she had not even begun her lead into Gochi's older brother. All she needed was a location of where they lived and she could simply go to their house. But how was she to find a location?

* * *

"You got your licences?" asked Gohan, sitting at the kitchen table in the Son residence. Gochi was in the kitchen with Chichi, helping with the cooking.

"Yeah, they told us never to come back too," said Tarrec, grinning.

"I don't think that was supposed to be a good thing," said Jinn, drinking the lemonade Chichi had prepared.

"Well, I think if you guys can drive like you did, good on ya," commented Diesel, sitting with the back of the chair at his front as he crossed his arms over.

"How did they drive?" asked Gohan.

"It was awesome Han-kun, you should've been there," said Diesel, grinning. "They were weaving in and out of the traffic, passing cars with a vengeance, catching _all_ the green lights." Diesel nodded, grinning. "Definite skills they have."

Tarrec, once again, laughed bashfully. Jinn merely took a sip of his drink.

* * *

That night, in two different parts of the world (or more, two different parts of the mainland), Videl and the Son household ate dinner. As Videl dined on gourmet lamb, vegetables including mashed potatoes, and orange juice, the Sons ate a traditional meal of rice, fish and stir fry with water. Videl sat at a large rectangular table, opposite her father, talking about their day. The Son residence sat on a circular table, laughing and joking, Diesel watching as Tarrec ate similarly to Goten. Through the differences, there were also similarities. After dinner, both parties found themselves in the lounge room, watching a certain news report on the screen.

"This just in," came the news reporter, fixing her glasses and reading the piece of paper in front of her. "The government have released information that a secure facility has been broken into by the alien from South City, still at large." Jinn gave Tarrec a sidelong, angry glance. Videl's eyes shifted towards her father, gauging his reaction. "Scientists have given their own accounts into the strange mishap, allowing high government officials to conjure an image of this felon. He is said to look like this…"

An image of a man with spiky black hair and a smiling, cocky expression filled the screen.

"If there is anyone who has information about this man, please call the number below…"

A series of numbers flashed on the screen with the words Central Bureau Agency in small print atop it.

"Now, we will get back to normal programming…"

The screen blinked out, then flashed on again, showing the programme that had been playing prior to the news flash. Gohan picked up the remote, and turned it off.

"This is not good…" he stated, staring at the two Saiya-jins. "When did this happen?" he asked.

Tarrec opened his mouth, but closed it. "In all seriousness, I think it's best if we told you tomorrow," he ended, his face earnest.

"But…" began Gohan.

"Right now," began Tarrec. "It's late, and we should get back." Tarrec motioned to Gochi, who was sleeping on the couch with her little brother. Diesel had already left after dinner, having to get back to his uncle and little sister.

Gohan sighed, nodding. "I'll wake Gochi up," he said.

"Nah, it's okay, Jinn-kun will carry her back," said Tarrec, grinning.

Jinn, who was halfway to the door by this point, stopped short, glaring at Tarrec, who merely grinned and waved from across the room at him. Growling, he headed for Gochi, standing back as Gohan picked up Goten and then stooping down and lifting her up. Gohan was slightly hesitant on the Saiay-jin carrying her, but swallowed it back. She looked like she was in a deep sleep.

"Welp," began Tarrec, already at the door. "Let's get home, ne?"

Jinn sighed, shifting Gochi's weight in his arms as he flew up, followed by Tarrec. Gohan stood at the door, one arm waving to the Saiya-jins as they flew away, the other carrying a sleeping Goten.

Meanwhile, Videl sat staring at the screen as the programme prior to the report played on screen.

"Tou-san," started Videl. "Do you think the alien could possibly be affiliated with someone on Earth?" she asked her father.

Satan turned to his daughter, looking stunned at the question.

"Why would you think that?" he asked. Even despite his regimen of publicity stunts and fame, he had noticed Videl seemed more and more intense.

Videl shook her head. "It's nothing tou-san. I'm going to go to bed," she stated, standing up. "Oyasumi, tou-san."

Satan bid his daughter goodnight as she walked out of the room. Something seemed wrong.

_I'll get someone to look out for her,_ he thought, turning his attention back to the television.


	18. Chapter 15: Part 1: Discovery

**The Unique Alliance**

**Disclaimer:** Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama, TOEI Animation, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA INC., FUNinmation.

**Disclaimer 2: **New characters, The Unique Alliance © Eileen Setiawan, H-san, Hina-chan (i.e. the author of the story)

**Disclaimer 3: **This story is only for recreational purposes. I do not intend to sell this to anyone/anything.

**Author's Note:** Yay, no third part to Chapter 14! . However, keep in mind this will possibly be the longest chapter, or more so, the chapter with most parts.

**PART 1 : The Kindness of Strangers**

* * *

"**I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind,**

**I left my body lying somewhere in the sands of time,**

**I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon,**

**I feel there's nothing I can do… yeah…"**

** Kryptonite – Three Doors Down**

* * *

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN (Part One) – Discovery  
**

It was early morning when a phone call filled the Bella Vita apartment, waking up the sleeping heap that was Gochi. Stumbling out of bed and down the hall, Gochi's bleary eyes located the phone as she picked it up, placing the receiver near her ear.

"Moshi moshi…" said a weary Gochi, struggling to stay awake as she waited for the answer. The voice on the other end surprised her, causing her to wake up.

"Gochi?" asked Bulma. "Did I wake you up?"

"Bulma-san? What is it?" she asked, awake. Bulma only really called the house when it was a visit day or it was urgent. The previous was not in another day or so, so that meant it was the latter.

"Oh, I need to talk to Jinn or Tarrec. Would you mind waking up either of them?" asked Bulma.

"Ano…" Her eyes glanced to the two Saiya-jins, Jinn hidden behind the couch and Tarrec on the floor. "I'll try…" she said.

"Good," came Bulma's voice on the other end. "I really need to talk to one of them. I'll give you ten minutes."

Gochi opened her mouth, but was cut short as piano scores played on the other end. Bulma had put Gochi on hold.

"E to…" she mumbled, placing the receiver face down on the table and walking towards the lounge room.

As she entered, she looked over the couch, seeing Jinn sleeping. She smiled, having forgotten how peaceful he looked asleep. Her eyes then travelled to where Tarrec slept. Her smile turned to a grin. He _did_ look like her older brother. Standing there, she then debated which one she should wake up. She felt terrible having to wake up _any_ of them. They seemed so at ease. Biting her lip, she bent over, gently grabbing Jinn's shoulder. Immediately, his eyes shot open. He looked around, as if to see who had the nerve to wake him up. As his eyesight adjusted, he came face-to-face with Gochi, who gave him an uneasy smile.

"Gomen, Jinn-kun…" she whispered, standing straight again. "It's just, Bulma-san asked for you or Tarrec-san."

Jinn sighed, standing up and stretching at once and trudging over to where the phone lay. Picking it up, he put it to his ear, hearing the piano scores. He looked at Gochi sceptically.

"Ano… she said 10 minutes."

He sighed frustratingly, putting the receiver on the hook. Gochi's eyes went wide in surprise, her mouth opening. She then shut it again as Jinn picked up the receiver, redialled the Capsule Corporation number (which was on speed-dial anyway) and placed it to his ear. A few seconds later, Bulma had picked up, clearly annoyed that Line 2 had shut off so abruptly.

"Gochi, why did you –"

"What do you want?" asked Jinn, as blunt as ever.

Bulma's side went silent as she registered what was going on, then gaining composure, started all over again.

"Jinn?"

"No, it's God, what do you think?" asked Jinn, sarcasm staining his voice along with a slight hint of annoyance.

Gochi was feeling increasingly guilty for waking him up.

Bulma scoffed on the other line then continued: "I need you to come here. There's something I need to show you."

"Now?"

"No, in a million years! Yes, now!" replied Bulma, her sarcasm and wit as sharp as Jinn's.

_I deserved that,_ thought Jinn, rolling his eyes.

"Fine," he said bluntly, putting the receiver on the hook. He then turned to Gochi, who was looking away, a guilty look on her visage. He rolled his eyes again.

"If you'd have woken up that _baka_ over there then he would've woken me up anyway," snapped Jinn, crossing his arms. He was already annoyed and she was only making it worse. He then turned around, sighed, and headed towards the bathroom. "Don't be so upset," added Jinn.

Gochi smiled solemnly.

* * *

Gohan awoke the next morning, a few hours after the phone call at Gochi's apartment, last night's report plaguing his mind. A break-in at a secure facility? Tarrec's reaction to the news report put Gohan's mind in a dubious state. Could the Saiya-jin have possibly caused such damage? Was it that day when he detected Jinn and Gochi's powers? Sitting up, Gohan rubbed his eyes, yawning. Mumbling beside him caused him to turn his attention to the little bundle next to him. Goten lay in a tangle of sheets; legs and arms splayed this way and that way, characteristic of how their father had slept.

Gohan's expression gave way to a smile as he fixed up the sheets, covering them over his little brother. He then stood up and headed for the bathroom. Tarrec and Jinn (and possibly Gochi, Heaven forbid) had some explaining to do.

* * *

Videl knew she had to get down to the bottom of this. But with no more leads, she did not know _where_ to go. Capsule Corporation was huge. There was no way she could squeeze anything out of that institution. There was Gochi and her ties with Capsule Corporation but she could not just go and barge in on someone unexpected, expecting them to divulge all their secrets. She needed to know where Gochi's true family home was, and then maybe she could get something there. However, she had no idea where Gochi really lived. Yes, they were friends, but they were only really class friends. Outside of class, they rarely associated with one another. In fact, it was Erasa who invited Videl and Sharpner to Gochi's house that fateful day.

Erasa…

Could Erasa know where the family home was? Videl thought about that possibility. Maybe… she was a pretty social girl. She knew mostly everything about everyone, in that non-gossip-friendly-type-of-way. Videl bit her lip, stretching over to reach for her mobile phone.

Dialling Erasa's number, Videl put the phone to her ear, waiting for the line to be received.

"Moshi moshi?" came Erasa's usually perky voice.

"Erasa! Hey!" came Videl's voice, smiling.

"Oh my God, hey Videl-chan. Long time, no talk! Can you believe it? School's in another week or so. And I thought these three months would go on slowly…"

"Yeah," agreed Videl.

"So, how's it going?" asked Erasa.

"I'm okay, I just wanted to ask you a question?"

"Yeah?" asked Erasa.

"Do you know…" Videl hesitated. "Where… Gochi's family home is?"

Erasa went silent for some time, then: "I remember her saying something about that… I think I wrote it down somewhere… can you hold Videl-chan?"

"Sure," answered Videl. Videl could hear the phone being placed on something soft, possibly Erasa's bed, and then there was a rustling in the background. She then heard the phone being picked up again.

"Uhm… 451 East District, Mt Pauzu, … yeah, I remember asking how she got to the city. That's when she gave me her real apartment address," explained Erasa.

"Wow… that's in the country. Almost a five-hour drive…" commented Videl, looking at the address on the piece of paper.

"Yeah, it's amazing huh? And her older brother still lives there. I wonder why he doesn't attend the high school. He'd be a cute addition to the grade."

Videl laughed. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, don't you find him cute?"

"Well… I guess he's not that bad…" commented Videl.

"Aww, c'mon Videl-chan! He's cute, and you know it!"

Videl laughed. "Well, I have to go now. I'll call you sometime, okay?"

"Sure, I'll see you then, or at school, whenever," came Erasa's reply.

As Videl hung up, she sighed. She realised just how much she had been neglecting her friends, Erasa and Sharpner. She needed to hang out with them sometime, just the three of them. But right now…

"451 East District, Mt Pauzu!" she read aloud, grinning.

_Lead, here I come!_ she thought, standing up and walking towards her front door. As she exited, she de-capsulated her transport, a two-seater helicopter, and jumping in, she started the engine. She knew that driving would mean five hours, but flying would cut that down to at least three hours. Unbeknownst to Videl, she was being watched by two men in black, having been hired by her father to keep an eye on her.

* * *

Gohan sneezed, rubbing his nose and wondering where that came from.

He then looked to the phone where he was sitting in front of, his finger assuming the position of hovering over the speed-dial button to Gochi's apartment. He had the phone in his hand and was completely unsure if he should confront the situation. Did it really need confronting? He didn't kill anyone… or did he?

Gohan bit his lip, concentrating on the phone and unaware that Goten was staring at his big brother with a clueless expression on his face. Goten then looked to where Gohan's finger was stationed, and smiling, went on his tiptoes and pressed the button.

Gohan, unaware of his little brother's presence, yelled in surprise as he stood up. He then looked to Goten, who grinned up at him.

"Go –" started Gohan, but was interrupted as a female voice answered on the other end.

"Moshi moshi?"

" – chi, hi!" ended Gohan, turning his attention to the phone. Goten laughed in the background.

"Niichan?" asked Gochi, grabbing the receiver with her hand. She had been trying to cook breakfast and talk on the phone at the same time.

"Yeah… can I please speak to Tarrec?" asked Gohan on the other line.

"Ano…" Gochi looked to see where the other Saiya-jin was. He sat in the lounge room, watching morning cartoons. "Hai… I'll get him…"

Gochi walked towards the lounge room, carrying the cordless phone with her. When she reached Tarrec, she handed the phone to him. Tarrec took the phone, confused.

"Niichan wants to speak with you," she said, slightly confused.

_Here we go…_ thought Tarrec, expecting this call. "Hello?" asked Tarrec.

"Tarrec? Do you think you can come over?" asked Gohan.

"E to… sure. But can I at least eat breakfast here," said Tarrec laughingly.

"Sure," came Gohan's reply.

"Okay, I'll meet you then."

"Okay, thanks Tarrec. Bye."

"Bye Gohan."

Both hung up at the same time and both sighed at the same time.

* * *

Jinn reached Capsule Corporation wearing a simple black shirt and even simpler black pants. Walking up to the door, he barged in without knocking, startling Mrs. Briefs who cooked in the kitchen.

"Oh, hello Jinn-chan!" she welcomed.

Jinn stopped, staring at the woman, who continued to smile.

"Would you like something to eat?" she asked, motioning to the food splayed out on the table.

"No, I'm here to see your daughter," he said.

"Oh, well, she's in that tinkering room of hers," replied Mrs. Briefs.

Jinn nodded slightly, his expression of thanks, and walked away. He had been there once already, he knew how to get there.

"Very strange young man…" commented Mrs. Briefs, her index finger on her chin in an expression of thought. She then smiled as she saw her little grandson walking in, staring in the direction where Jinn had disappeared.

"Trunks-chan, would you like some breakfast?"

Trunks turned to his grandmother, smiling at the smorgasbord in front of him. "Sure obaachan!" he replied, running over to the kitchen.

* * *

As Jinn entered the room, he cringed at the high-pitched sound emanating around. He peered towards Bulma, who looked unfazed.

"What?" she asked.

"What is that sound?" asked Jinn, still cringing.

Bulma looked confused. It then dawned on her. "Oh, I pressed something on Tarrec's ship."

"What?" snapped Jinn.

"I said I --"

"I know what you said! Why did you press it!?"

"I thought it was unimportant."

"Turn it off!"

"What? Why?"

Jinn scowled, heading towards the sound. As he found Tarrec's ship, he stooped over, pressing in several buttons. The room went abruptly quiet, for Jinn anyway. Jinn sighed, clearly more irritated than he thought he would be.

"What did you do?" asked Bulma, who had seen him handle the technology.

"I turned it off," he said bluntly, rubbing his forehead.

"What is it?" asked Bulma. "I mean… what does it do, other than hurt Saiya-jins' ears. Vegeta was in pain the whole time he was in here."

"It's… nothing," replied Jinn, although his face looked wary, his body suddenly tense.

"Nothing?"

"How long was it on?"

"What do you mean nothing?"

"How. Long. Was. It. _ON_!?" asked Jinn, forceful, his voice laced with malice.

"Hey!" came another voice.

Jinn and Bulma turned to the door, seeing Vegeta, a deep scowl on his face as he glared at Jinn. He had noticed the sound was gone which meant that Jinn or Tarrec was probably there. His assumption was deemed correct as he saw Jinn, looming aggressively over Bulma. If not for the machines in the way, Vegeta would probably already have punched the other Saiya-jin. Lucky for him, he was unable to get past all the machinery.

Jinn sighed, holding back frustration.

"It's nothing," he repeated, heading towards the door where Vegeta stood. Vegeta glared at Jinn, Jinn glared at Vegeta. The tension was broken as Bulma spoke out:

"About half an hour," she replied.

Jinn peered at Bulma from the side of his face, then turned around and walked away, his footsteps growing dim down the hallway.

"There's something weird going on…" mumbled Bulma, crossing her arms under her breasts.

Vegeta sighed. "Next time one of them comes, call," he said, sounding agitated.

Bulma gave a cheeky grin. "Why, you concerned?" she asked.

Vegeta scoffed, turning around. "I'm eating," he said bluntly.

Bulma smiled, following her husband out.

* * *

Gohan waited out front, arms crossed and slightly anxious. Half of him wanted to find out what happened at the government facility, the other half wanted to ignore it completely. As they said, ignorance is bliss. But if that ignorance got you into trouble, than that was something else…

Gohan sighed, his attention focused on the matter at hand. A tug on his white Chinese-styled top caught his attention as he looked down at Goten, staring up at his big brother with concern.

"Something wrong niichan?" asked Goten, head cocked to one side.

Gohan laughed, rubbing the back of his head in a sheepish manner.

"Nah, it's okay. Just thinking," said Gohan, bending down to Goten's height. "You don't have to be concerned about niichan."

"But you're always so quiet and you don't even notice things happening around you anymore," observed Goten.

Gohan laughed. Goten was always pretty observant, even without knowing it himself. Gohan postulated it was because he either had good eyesight or a good memory. Either way, it served him well.

"Nah, it's nothing. Just worried about Gochi-chan," he said.

"Really? Why?" asked Goten, that normal clueless Son disposition spreading across his face.

Gohan laughed again. Goten always reminded him of their father.

"Nothing," he replied.

His eyes then went wide in surprise as he turned his head up, seeing a figure coming towards them, aura streaking around the body. As it neared, Gohan realised it to be Tarrec. As soon as he reached the house, he killed his power mid flight and fell to the ground, landing with a great thud on the grassy earth. He then looked up, grinning at the two Sons.

"Hey guys," he said, hand up in a sign of greeting.

"Tarrec!" came Goten's cry as he barrelled the older Saiya-jin over.

Tarrec let out an "ooof" as he was sent sprawling backwards, landing on his posterior. Gohan smiled, walking over and lending Tarrec a hand.

"Thanks," said Tarrec, holding Goten with one arm as he grabbed Gohan's hand with another. "Now… onto the matter at hand," he continued, going straight into it.

Gohan nodded. "This incident… what's it about?"

"Well… when I first landed y'see…" Tarrec laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "I went looking for Jinn-kun. The scouter felt his power somewhere near that facility so naturally I went to that area. Unfortunately, I also threw my space pod… in that… direction…"

"You what?!" yelled Gohan.

Tarrec laughed sheepishly. "Well, I…"

"Your ship _landed _on the facility?! Is that how it happened?" assumed Gohan, looking completely incredulous.

"No," started Tarrec. "What happened is that my ship landed _near_ their facility and they, with their machinery, plucked it from where it sat and moved it _into_ the facility. I was merely retrieving personal property."

Gohan's mouth dropped open, unable to comprehend what Tarrec was saying. He _broke into_ the government facility? Gohan tried to say something, but all that came out was gibberish as he tried to wrap his head around what Tarrec was saying.

Finally, Tarrec broke the awkward silence stretching between them.

"Well," he began, letting the word fill the silence before continuing. "Gochi's alone at the apartment," he stated, trying to change the subject.

Gohan put his hand up, as if about to say something, then sighed.

"Yeah, maybe we should go visit her now," he ended.

"Yay! Visit neechan!" cried Goten, grinning from ear-to-ear.

Tarrec also smiled, glad the tension was over. Gohan then turned to walk into the house.

"Where are you going?" asked Tarrec.

"I'm telling kaa-san," he explained. "You wait out here."

* * *

Meanwhile, Videl flew towards the property, seeing a rather modest, yet sturdy, house. She let her mouth give way to a smile.

_Got you now…_ she thought.

* * *

Somewhere in the depths of space, a lone ship stood camouflaged amongst the stars, only being revealed as it glided past the monoliths of floating asteroids. Within the ship, a lone figure stood, looking out towards the great expanse of black. Atop this figure's head was a helmet of white, red streaks along the top parallel to one another. The visor, consisting of a darkened material that reflected the light from the stars in its depths.

The figure turned its head as someone entered the room: a soldier with similar apparel, although the helmet bore blue streaks.

"General, we've finally detected them," he said, bowing low to the figure.

The General nodded, grabbing the helmet and taking it off. Russet hair tumbled down from where it lay packed in the helmet. The soldier could only compare it to that of fire, roaring yet at the same time…

"Good," came the General's voice, quiet yet holding a hint of melody. She tucked a tuft of hair behind her ear as she turned to the soldier.

The soldier looked upon her face, holding the grace of a woman, yet the deadliness of a soldier.

"Take us there."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Dom, dom, DOM!! Cliff-hanger, whee! 


	19. Chapter 15: Part 2: Tension & Confusion

**The Unique Alliance**

**Disclaimer:** Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama, TOEI Animation, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA INC., FUNinmation.

**Disclaimer 2: **New characters, The Unique Alliance © Eileen Setiawan, H-san, Hina-chan (i.e. the author of the story)

**Disclaimer 3: **This story is only for recreational purposes. I do not intend to sell this to anyone/anything.

**PART 1 The Kindness of Strangers**

* * *

"**I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind,**

**I left my body lying somewhere in the sands of time,**

**I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon,**

**I feel there's nothing I can do… yeah…"**

** Kryptonite – Three Doors Down**

* * *

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN (Part Two) – Tension and Confusion**

Jinn landed on the roof of the Bella Vita apartment, feeling weary.

_30 minutes… maybe…_ he thought. His thoughts were interrupted as he saw Gochi, sitting atop the roof and gazing into the distance, her face solemn. She was usually smiling, so it felt strange to him. Jinn cleared his throat and Gochi's expression changed. She turned to him, that smile on her face.

"Hey," she greeted, standing up so he did not have to look down at her. Not that it really helped, she was still comparatively shorter than him anyway.

"What are you doing?" he asked bluntly, sceptically staring at her.

"Ah… well, Tarrec-san left so I thought I'd just go to my thinking spot," she said, smiling.

Jinn looked around. The roof was a pretty barren place. Nothing on it but cement.

"Thinking spot?" he asked.

Gochi laughed sheepishly. "Well, I've always wanted to transform it into a garden, or something, but…" She sighed quietly. "I haven't been able to."

Jinn looked around, wondering how you could possibly fit anything as big as a garden on a roof.

"How was Bulma-san?" asked Gochi, interrupting Jinn's thoughts.

"Nothing," he answered, looking into the distance. He then sighed, sitting down, slightly exhausted, yet irritated.

Gochi stared in surprise, crouching down to inspect his face.

"Are you alright?" she asked, concern lacing her voice.

"Fine."

Gochi looked sceptical, but decided against asking, merely sitting down again where she stood. She leaned on her hands, looking out towards the skies above. Crows flew around, cawing.

"Something's up…" mumbled Gochi, staring at their forms in the sky.

"Huh?" asked Jinn.

"The birds… they're edgy…" said Gochi, her face looking concerned but her voice sounding wary.

Jinn looked to the birds, seeing just that: birds. What was it with her and birds anyway? She held some kind of affinity with them.

"It's probably nothing," dismissed Jinn. In a way, he believed her, but he hoped, upon all hopes, that he was wrong.

* * *

Videl landed the helicopter a little way from the house. She then killed the engine and jogged towards the house. She could feel excitement welling up inside. She was close, _so _close!

At the door, Videl knocked, waiting for an answer. As she heard the door being opened, she came face-to-face with a woman, her face framed by black bangs, the rest of it tied high above her head. She reminded Videl of an older Gochi.

"May I help you?" asked Chichi, looking at Videl with confusion.

"Uhm…" began Videl.

"You're not a saleswoman, are you?"

"No, no ma'am!" began Videl. "I just need to ask you a few questions."

"About what? If this is about the trees in the forest, that's part of the property so we can do whatever we want with them," explained Chichi, matter-of-factly.

"Actually, I was wondering if this was originally Gochi's house?" asked Videl, wording her question carefully.

Chichi's eyes went wide. "Why yes, she's my daughter. Is she in trouble?"

"No, no, nothing of the sort. I just wanted to know if her older brother was around…"

"Oh, you mean Gohan-chan?"

"Gohan…" repeated Videl, the name rolling off her tongue. "Yeah… Gohan."

"Hn, well, he just left with his little brother and a friend," explained Chichi, knowing better than to divulge information about the other Saiya-jin, despite Chichi's disliking of that man living with her daughter.

"A friend?" asked Videl.

"Yes, they headed for Satan City," explained Chichi, growing suspicious.

Videl smiled. "Thankyou, Mrs. Son," she said, bowing slightly.

"You're not investigating my son, are you?" asked Chichi, giving a suspicious glare to the girl.

Videl sweat dropped. "No, no, why would you think that?" asked Videl.

Chichi inspected Videl from top to bottom with her eyes. "Well…" she began. "I guess I can trust you," she ended, crossing her arms.

Videl laughed nervously, backing away from the house as she bid the woman farewell.

As Videl disappeared into the distance Chichi gave a smile.

_I wonder if she's Gohan's girlfriend…_ thought Chichi, entering the house and closing the door behind her.

* * *

The two landed on the outer skirts of Satan City, Tarrec carrying Goten on his back. There they walked into the streets of the city towards Bella Vita apartments. Tarrec complained, wondering why they had to walk when they could simply fly to the apartment and land on the roof. Gohan had a reason for this decision:

"I still need to ask you questions," stated Gohan.

"Really?" asked Tarrec. He thought Gohan had asked all the questions he could think of.

"Ahah, like, did anyone get hurt during that attack?"

Tarrec contemplated that thought, going silent for some time. Gohan looked wary.

"I do not like what this awkward silence portends…" he stated, inching away from Tarrec.

"Well… I didn't exactly kill him…"

"You hurt someone?" yelled Gohan, once again incredulous.

"Not badly. I just… gave him a push."

"A push?"

"Yeah, he only went 5 metres or so…"

"FIVE METRES!"

"Can you stop repeating everything I say?"

Gohan sighed. "Okay…" he said, thinking of another question. "Did anyone see you?"

Tarrec looked at Gohan with amusement. "Did you not see the report?" he asked, laughingly.

"I mean… _see_ see you… can they truly identify who you are?"

"Apart from that sketch… no…" said Tarrec.

Gohan sighed in relief. "How about the damage?"

"Well, I don't think I did _that_ much damage. I mean… at least they have a sun roof now…"

Gohan stood rigid. "A sun roof?"

"Hey, it's a hole. A small hole…" said Tarrec, then averting his head away from Gohan. "That-was-big-enough-to-fit-a-space-pod…" he added, causing Goten to laugh.

"What did you say?" asked Gohan, scratching his head.

Tarrec grinned innocently. "Nothing"

Gohan sighed, the three walking in silence. As they reached the park located at the city, Gohan sat down on a bench, looking weary. Tarrec looked down at Gohan, feeling guilty. He put Goten down, sitting on the bench beside him.

"Hey look," began Tarrec. "No one's going to think it's you. I look nothing like you."

Gohan groaned, placing his face in his hands. "Videl seems to think the opposite…" he said, his voice muffled by his hands.

Tarrec cringed. That psycho-woman was pretty twisted. She seemed to know things…

"Well… you know… we're Saiya-jin, well, you're half-Saiya-jin, but that point is moot when you consider the fact that she can't catch us," asserted Tarrec, grinning at Gohan.

Gohan sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right…"

"Now, stop being so glum. You're making your brother upset."

Gohan looked up at Goten, who held that concerned look on his face again. Gohan smiled down at his brother then picked him up.

"How about ice cream?" asked Gohan to Goten.

Goten beamed. "Really?" asked Goten.

"Yeah, my treat," said Gohan, standing up. He turned to Tarrec.

"Coming?" he asked.

Tarrec shook his head. "Nah, although can you get me some!" asked Tarrec, looking hopeful.

Gohan laughed. "Sure, what flavour?"

"I'll get whatever Goten has."

"Yay!" cheered Goten. "Wafers!"

Gohan laughed, waving goodbye to Tarrec as he walked forward. Tarrec watched them leave, noting where they had headed off to. He then sighed, leaning his head back and looking at the Earth sky. Never had a planet he had been on been so… peaceful. He allowed himself this moment of serenity, broken as he heard footsteps coming towards him.

His eyes then opened in shock as he was grabbed roughly from behind, the person grabbing his collar and yanking him back. Tarrec's head fell back, coming face-to-face with the familiar face of the psycho-woman.

_Ah it's the psycho-woman, oh crap. Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap…_ thought Tarrec.

Trying to rectify the situation, he grinned.

"Hey…" he said, despite his awkward position.

"You are under –"

"You can't ruin _my_ day because _I_ got my driver's licence yesterday!" interrupted Tarrec, flashing his card in front of Videl's face.

Videl looked at the card confused, then whacking his hand out of the way, opened her mouth to say something, finding her hand empty. Mouth open in shock, she looked this way and that way, finally locating Tarrec running off into the distance. She did not know how he could have _possibly_ done that, but she was _not_ giving up without a fight.

Growling she chased after him.

Gohan paid the ice-cream-man, giving Goten his ice cream cone, which he devoured. Gohan laughed, walking forward, hand-in-hand with his brother. He then looked up as he heard Tarrec's voice:

"Gooohaaan!" he yelled, running towards him.

"Oh Tarrec, here's your ice…"

"Hide me, hide me!" he said hurriedly, diving behind Gohan and snatching the ice cream away at the same time.

"Huh?" exclaimed Gohan, confused. He blinked dumbly. "What's…"

"Hide me from the psycho-woman," he whispered hurriedly.

"Psycho-woman?" asked Gohan, even more confused.

Tarrec pointed from under Gohan's arm. Gohan followed the pointing finger, his eyes going wide as he saw Videl running towards him.

_Ah, great… now? How'd she find us? The city's huge…_ thought Gohan.

"Hey!" yelled Videl, her face twisted into one of fierce determination.

"HELLO!" greeted Goten, waving at Videl with one hand as he held his half-devoured ice cream with the other.

Videl stopped short, seeing the little boy wave at her. She then turned, seeing Gohan only, as Tarrec was obscured by both Sons.

"Bringing your little brother into this, huh?" said Videl.

"What?" asked Gohan, clearly confused.

"Well, I have judiciary to…"

"Oh look at the time," interrupted Gohan sliding away. In a split second, he was gone, dragging his little brother and something else behind him.

Videl was growing _very_ frustrated.

* * *

Gohan and Tarrec found themselves at the Satan City shopping mall. Even though the Western Capital shopping mall practically dwarfed the Satan City complex, it was still quite a huge shopping development. Both were panting from their run-in with Videl. Anymore of those and it would get _really_ bad. Goten happily munched on the remnants of his ice cream whilst Tarrec still held his in his hand. It was a miracle neither ice cream fell off during the run.

As they regained composure, Gohan sighed.

"Why is she doing this?" he complained.

"I know…" said Tarrec, his mouth filled with ice cream by this point.

Gohan stared sceptically at Tarrec.

"What? It was melting, plus these kind of events make me nervous, and when I'm nervous, I eat," explained Tarrec, taking another bite of the ice cream. "Mmm, what is this?" he asked, grinning at the flavour.

"Well, hopefully we won't run into her again," said Gohan, ignoring Tarrec's question. He picked up his little brother, who had ice cream around his mouth. Gohan laughed. If ever there was a time he needed Gochi, it was now. She usually carried towelletes.

"Mmm," munched Tarrec, happy to ignore their current situation. Goten laughed.

"It's chocolate with wafers," he explained.

Tarrec nodded. "I like chocolate with wafers," stated Tarrec, grinning at Goten who grinned back.

Gohan shook his head smiling. Their moment, however, was interrupted as a familiar voice cried out from a far.

"Hey you can't run away forever!"

"Oh great," said both Tarrec and Gohan in unison.

They glanced at each other briefly before running into the crowd, both having the same idea in mind. Split up, lose Videl, and then meet with each other at Gochi's apartment.

Videl, from her standpoint, had only seen Tarrec, as he was slightly taller and more colourful than his half-Saiya-jin counterpart. So as both Gohan and Tarrec had run, she had gone after the Saiya-jin. Entering into the crowds, it was quite easy for her to get through. Being Videl Satan had its perks.

Tarrec on the other hand had never really experienced the Earth crowds before, and was therefore quite lost. He looked up towards the signs to make sure he was heading in the right direction. This was made worse due to the fact that he, unlike his friend Jinn, had no sixth-sense like ability. Thus, detecting Gohan's whereabouts was difficult. When he finally spotted Gohan, Videl was close behind him.

"Oh crap…" mumbled Tarrec, pushing through the crowds.

Videl did likewise, reaching the area where Tarrec had once been, only to find him missing. She searched around, seeing the head of Gohan. Although believing it to be Tarrec, ran after him.

Gohan had a bit more skill in navigating the crowds of Earth, he was a denizen after all, and so hearing Videl's calls behind him did not make him worry as much as it had Tarrec. Gohan pushed his way through the crowds with the normal Son dispositions of "sorrys, excuse mes, and pardon mes", allowing better access through the crowd.

It was not long before Videl lost Gohan, and found Tarrec once again, this time inspecting a sign. He pondered the sign, wondering if he should go the "Kings" route, where a big department store was located, or the "Novelties" route, which consisted of a string of smaller stores. Hearing Videl behind him, he shrugged, heading towards the "Novelties" route and back into the massive crowd.

By this point, Videl was extremely agitated, annoyed and flustered. This man was playing with her mind!

Videl then found an opening, where Tarrec had just disappeared. She grinned, heading towards that area. When she arrived there, she found a T-section, splitting into a left and right passage. She looked to the right, seeing the brightly coloured man disappear into there. She then looked to the left, seeing another man with similar hair, disappear into there. She then stood there, stumped.

"Huh?" she asked herself, looking from left to right.

There were two of them?

* * *

Gohan flew towards the roof, surprised to find Gochi and Jinn sitting atop it. Gochi stood up and smiled as she saw her two brothers heading towards her.

"Niichan, Goten-chan!" she greeted, waving her arm up high in the air.

Goten jumped out of Gohan's arms as they neared the building and into Gochi's awaiting embrace. She laughed as she hugged her little brother.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked Gohan, rubbing noses with Goten.

"Well, we were taking Tarrec back, but we ran into trouble," explained Gohan.

Gochi realised he sounded breathless.

"Trouble?" asked Gochi, growing concerned.

Gohan nodded. "We ran into Videl-san," explained Gohan sitting down opposite Jinn.

"Where's Tarrec?" asked Jinn.

"We don't know, we think he's okay…" explained Gohan.

"You think?" asked Jinn sceptically.

"We had to split up to avoid getting caught by Videl."

"But then… couldn't _he_ have gotten caught by Videl-san?" asked Gochi.

All four went silent at that thought.

"But… Tarrec said that he couldn't," said Goten.

The twins exchanged wary glances. The silence was then broken as a familiar voice interrupted:

"Aww, I'm touched," came Tarrec's voice.

Everyone turned their attention to the voice, seeing Tarrec just landing, looking as exhausted as Gohan. He put two fingers to his forehead in a sign of greeting.

"See!" exclaimed Goten, grinning.

"I love this little guy," came Tarrec's reply, gesturing to Goten, who grinned more widely.

* * *

Unbeknownst to them, slowly heading towards Earth, was a ship carrying passengers with dark intentions and an even darker fate for certain individuals. 


	20. Chapter 16: Part 1: Discovered!

**The Unique Alliance**

**Disclaimer:** Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama, TOEI Animation, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA INC., FUNinmation.

**Disclaimer 2: **New characters, The Unique Alliance © Eileen Setiawan, H-san, Hina-chan (i.e. the author of the story)

**Disclaimer 3: **This story is only for recreational purposes. I do not intend to sell this to anyone/anything.

**PART 1: The Kindness of Strangers**

* * *

"**The great beyond will call on you when time is drawing near**

**It all seems just like a dream, your final days are here**

**The final chapter's written, the story has to end**

**You see your saga passing by, is this where it begins?"**

** Last Horizon – Seven Witches**

* * *

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN (Part One) – Discovered! **

The next day Gochi awoke to the sound of bustling outside. She exited her bedroom and walked down the hall, seeing Jinn and Tarrec walking around the apartment. Gochi scratched her head, wondering what they were doing. As Tarrec walked past Gochi he grinned at her.

"Mornin' Gochi!" he greeted, grinning.

Gochi looked at his clothes. He wore the Saiya-jin spandex he had worn to Earth. As she peered at Jinn he also wore the same clothing he had worn to Earth, although his apparel was cleaner than it had been when he first arrived. Gochi found it more surprising to see him over the stove, staring blankly at whatever contents lay inside it.

"Seh?" she asked, confused.

Tarrec laughed, guiding her to sit at the kitchen table.

"We're going training, and we couldn't wait for you to wake up, so we decided to cook breakfast for ourselves." Tarrec motioned to the table with his hand, Gochi seeing an assortment of strange foods on the table. "We had to improvise because some of the ingredients are missing on Earth."

"Improvise?" asked Gochi. She found it strange these two even _knew_ how to cook.

"Yeah, you don't have Stymphalian eggs, so we used dinosaur eggs…" mused Tarrec.

"SEH!" exclaimed Gochi, her eyes now two dots set into her head.

Tarrec laughed. "I knew you'd agree," he said, patting her on the head. He then turned to Jinn. "How's it going?" he asked.

Jinn remained silent, still staring at the food.

"Ah, I see…" said Tarrec, as if Jinn had answered him.

"Wh – when are you going training?" asked Gochi, trying to get out of her stupor.

"Soon, after breakfast," answered Tarrec, sitting down beside Gochi and reaching for a brown mass in the middle of the table. Cutting a chunk of it off, he plopped it down onto the plate before him. He then stuck a fork in it and hungrily devoured it. "Wan' shum?" he asked, his mouth full of food.

"I guess… I'll try…" said Gochi, reaching for the same meal.

Tarrec laughed, beating her to it as he cut a big slice off and heaped it onto the plate in front of her. He then proceeded in doing the very same to the rest of the dishes, heaping food upon food on Gochi's plate.

"A… arigatou…" thanked Gochi, dazed at the amount of food they had cooked.

"No problem," exclaimed Tarrec, digging into the food.

Gochi picked up her fork, taking off a piece of a dark lime coloured dish. She slowly lifted the fork to her mouth and bit down on it. The taste exploded in her mouth. It was strange… but nice.

"Wow!" she gushed. "This is good!"

Tarrec grinned, whilst Jinn still remained staring at the dish frying at the stove.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to come?" asked Tarrec, flying backwards as he looked towards Gochi.

"Un, I need some fresh air anyway. You know, before school starts."

"School… the good ol' days…" mused Tarrec, his face looking dreamy.

Gochi laughed whilst Jinn merely rolled his eyes.

"When did you two decide this?" asked Gochi.

"Yesterday night. Kuropii's all pent-up frustration right now," joked Tarrec, laughing as he looked towards an irritated Jinn.

Gochi laughed. "Okay, I won't get in your way. Where do you two train anyway?"

"This expanse of desert and rock."

"The Plains?" asked Gochi.

"Aha," answered Tarrec. "There's not a soul for miles, so we can be as loud as we want to."

"Wow…" mused Gochi. They had been training in the Plains? That place and the other fighters had a history together. It was where the fight between her father and Vegeta had taken place not to mention the Cell Games were situated close by.

"Ah, here we are!" exclaimed Tarrec, pointing into the distance.

Sure enough, monoliths and rocks could be seen in the distance growing ever bigger as they approached. Landing, the two Saiya-jins and Gochi looked around.

"Perfect," said Tarrec, stretching his arms up. He then cracked his neck and grinned towards Jinn.

"No Kordal," said Jinn bluntly.

"Aw… but…"

"No," interrupted Jinn.

Tarrec sighed. "Fine…" he said bluntly. "Then you have to have a handicap as well!" continued Tarrec.

Jinn stared sceptically.

"Yeah," continued Tarrec. "No ki."

Jinn's eyes shifted away, growling. Then he sighed irritably. "Fine," he said dismissively.

"Great, then we can –"

BAM!

Tarrec's voice was interrupted as Jinn launched an attack straight at the unexpected Tarrec. Gochi gasped in surprise, also not expecting the attack. She did not know Jinn was so ruthless in fighting. He reminded her of Vegeta for some reason. Tarrec went flying backwards, his face contorted in pain at the sudden attack.

"Jinn-kun!" complained Tarrec, up righting himself as he held his jaw where Jinn had sucker-punched him.

Now that Gochi thought more about it, Tarrec reminded her of her father…

Meanwhile, Jinn smirked. "Hurry up, I haven't got all day," he said.

Tarrec returned the smirk. "Fine."

* * *

Videl found herself flying towards Mount Pauzu again. Why did she even bother? What was she getting herself into flying here? They managed to get away; maybe she should just leave them alone?

But no…

She wanted… no, needed… to get down to the bottom of this! Fervent, she throttled the helicopter forward, seeing the expanse of countryside that was the East District. When she located the house, she parked her vehicle, hopping out and walking towards the house.

In the distance, two men in a silent 'copter, a new stealth vehicle on the market, parked a little distance from the house, hiding in the shrubbery as they got their cameras ready. Yesterday they had somehow managed to lose Videl in the hurry she had been in. This time they made sure she stayed in their sight. This was for the World Champion!

Meanwhile, Videl knocked on the door. It was Chichi who got the door again.

"Oh it's you," said Chichi, surprised to see the same girl twice in a row. She wondered why Gohan never talked about her. She was very pretty.

"Hello Mrs. Son," greeted Videl, bowing slightly. "Is… Gohan in?" hesitated Videl.

Chichi gave an amused smile. "I'll get him," she said.

Videl looked slightly confused. Why was she smiling like that?

In the house, Gohan ate breakfast with his little brother. As Chichi entered the kitchen, Gohan turned to his mother.

"Who's that?" he asked.

Chichi gave Gohan a knowing look. "Your _friend_," she said, giggling at the expression on her son's face. He was feigning obliviousness.

"Huh?" asked Gohan, truly confused, despite what Chichi believed.

"I haven't got her name. Maybe you should see," said Chichi, smiling at her son.

"O… kay…" he said, putting his bowl down and standing up.

As Gohan exited the room, Chichi laughed sitting with her youngest.

"Who was that mama?" asked Goten.

Chichi placed a hand on her son's head. "Your brother's growing up so fast," she said, avoiding Goten's question.

Goten stared at his mother in confusion.

As Gohan reached the front door he found himself face-to-face with Videl Satan.

"Ah… Vi-Videl-san?" stammered Gohan. This was probably how she knew they were at the city…

"I'm onto you mister!" began Videl, wagging a finger in Gohan's face.

Gohan laughed nervously. "I really don't know what you're talking about…"

"Liar! You're the one that was at the facility!" yelled Videl, taking the device out of her pocket and opening the screen, waving the video still in front of Gohan's eyes.

"What? I was never at that facility!" defended Gohan, hands up as he tried to avoid Videl from getting too close. She was leaning in, almost nose-to-nose with Gohan.

"Then why do you look so much like the picture! Why is it that you kept running from me? Why were you so jumpy around us when we visited Gochi's apartment? Huh? Huh?" rebutted Videl, still waving the picture in front of Gohan's face.

Gohan stammered, unable to get a word in. He then sighed.

"Let me see the picture, please?" he asked earnestly.

Videl looked at him with a mixture of incredulity and suspicion. "NO, you'll probably break it!"

Gohan sighed. "Then you look at it. Do I look like him? Or are you merely trying to pin it on someone who _looks_ like that guy?"

Gohan tried not to divulge too much information. He hoped she would do as he said. This was really getting out of hand. Videl stared at Gohan with eyes full of suspicion, but there was no mistaking the seriousness in his voice. She let her eyes trail down to the picture, her eyes then darting up at Gohan.

"I won't move. Scout's honour!" said Gohan, putting his hand up.

"You were a Scout?" asked Videl, growing slightly amused.

Gohan laughed. "Not really," he answered.

Videl then cleared her throat, growing serious again. She looked down at the still, seeing the trademarks of the teenagers: black spiky hair, fair complexion, and an unusually cute smile… She then peered closer: green eyes, rat-tail…

It dawned on her.

"You – you're not…" she stammered.

Gohan sighed. "I know," he said, leaning closer, relieved. "I'm not."

"But that means…" started Videl. Memories of a man in a change room, the man with Diesel Carber, the man with the unusual clothes… "He's… he's the one that lives with Gochi?" assumed Videl.

"E to… well…" began Gohan, sweating profusely.

"Does she know?"

"E to…"

"I've got to warn her!!" yelled Videl, rushing away and back to her helicopter.

Gohan stood at the door, completely shocked at the changing attitudes. He sighed, walking in. He needed to warn Gochi now…

* * *

As Videl reached the Bella Vita apartment, she entered the hallway. She looked left to right, and then went to see the woman at the front desk, her head down and her rose-tinted glasses shadowing her eyes.

"Excuse me," said Videl breathlessly.

The woman looked up, clearly shocked to see Videl Satan in her presence, alone. She had seen Videl with her friends, but it looked as if the person that was controlling the group then was the blonde one. She only assumed that Gochi and the blonde were friends, but Gochi and Videl?

"Yes, Ms. Satan?" asked the woman, all her attention focusing on Videl.

"Can I please get the room number of Gochi's please?" asked Videl.

The woman noticed she seemed in a hurry. She frowned, thinking. "Well, I'm sorry Ms. Satan, but she left. She left a message if you're interested." The message was actually for Bulma Briefs, but Videl was as important as Bulma. Was there really a difference?

"What is it?" asked Videl. Anything to let her know where she was.

"She said she was off training in the Plains… wherever that is…"

"Plains?" asked Videl.

"I'm not too sure Ms. Satan. She did say it was close by –"

"Thanks," interrupted Videl. She left the building in a hurry, leaving behind a very confused landlady.

* * *

Jinn went sprawling backwards, rubbing his cheek as blood trickled down the side of his mouth. Tarrec grinned, clenching his fists as he stared towards his best friend. Jinn did likewise, charging towards Tarrec and letting out a war cry. Tarrec did likewise, the two meeting in the middle, their fists clashing against one another as power sprayed forth from the collision. Gochi shielded her eyes, musing at how much emotion both of them were showing. She was used to Tarrec and his emotions, but Jinn barely showed a wit of expression. Now he seemed to be… happy. As she looked to the fight, she stared in awe at their fighting styles.

They were both graceful yet fierce at the same time. They took each punch as a blow-by-blow basis. If Jinn hit Tarrec, he would react with his own hit, which Jinn would then react with another, and the cycle continued. They were beating each other completely senseless. If this was how Jinn blew off steam she would hate to be on his bad side…

So far, neither of them had used their ki. Mostly because Jinn could not as that was his "handicap". However, their fighting techniques were unlike any Gochi had seen.

Jinn was flexible, using that as his forte. Unlike Vegeta, who used his flexibility mostly for attack, Jinn utilised it for defence. Gochi wondered how he has gotten so good at defending. Whoever had taught him was probably a master at it.

Tarrec used the "attack all or not at all" technique. He rarely used defence, and only did so when he was losing his upper hand. His attacks were quick and precise, going for the major points of the body: the nose, eyes, head, neck, heart, abdomen, small of the back, and much to Gochi's surprise, groin…

Jinn blocked Tarrec as he did just that.

"That was cheap," said Jinn.

Tarrec grinned, lunging a clawed fist at Jinn's eyes. Jinn bent backwards at a 90° angle, dragging a surprised Tarrec with him. He then threw Tarrec with all his might, sending his best friend soaring into a monolith. The monolith wall crumbled under the impact as Tarrec went tunnelling in, wind billowing out from it.

Jinn smirked, watching as the dirt and dust billowed outwards. Gochi sat rooted to the spot, shock apparent in her face.

"Sugoi…" she breathed, blinking dumbly at the scene. Her eyes then went from surprise to intensity as she looked around, feeling something coming. However, she did not feel her sixth sense being activated. It was more as if something… someone… was telling her. Crows flew above, cawing in panic. "The birds…" she mumbled.

Jinn's facial expression also changed as he felt a sudden charge in the air. It felt… intense… Was this his sixth sense?

No… it was something else…

Tarrec coughed, flying up, covered in dust. He brushed the dust off, coughing as it clouded around him, pervading his sense of smell.

"Jinn… did you have to throw me so hard?" asked Tarrec between coughs. He then saw the look on his best friend's face and cocked his head to one side. "What's up?" he asked.

Jinn turned to face his best friend, an intense look in his eyes. "Something's wrong…"

* * *

Videl rushed towards "The Plains", not quite sure where they were but hoping her gut instinct was right. It was nearby, so instinctively she went to the closest barren wasteland she could find. As she reached the location she was looking for, she could see rock cliffs and edifices slowly growing larger. Videl allowed her mind to wander.

Was this the Plains? And what was she doing? The woman had stated something about training. Was Gochi a fighter?

A mental image flashed in her mind of Gochi pouring tea in an apron.

No way! Gochi was not fighting material. Not to her anyway. Videl bit her lip. This was bad. Gochi was not the smartest person in the world, quite dense in the common sense department actually. She could easily be misled by someone, an alien no less!

Videl throttled forward, hoping that nothing had happened to the girl. She would feel responsible if something did. After all, Videl was very much like that…

* * *

Gochi grew tense, closing her eyes as she concentrated. She could not feel anything or anyone coming, and yet there was an intense danger in the air. She heard the message loud and clear, ringing through her mind.

"Beware the silver star! Beware!"

_Silver star…?_ questioned Gochi.

She looked up, seeing birds passing overhead.

_What do they mean?_

"Hybrid!" came Jinn's voice.

Gochi snapped out of her thought processes, turning to him. He flew down with Tarrec, landing next to her.

"You should go back," he stated.

"But… there's something –"

"I know," interrupted Jinn.

Tarrec looked perplexed and confused.

"What's going on?" he asked, scratching his head.

"Something's coming," explained Gochi. "I… don't know what… but it's something like a… silver star?"

"Silver star?" asked Tarrec. "But star's don't normally travel. Unless what they mean is a shooting star, but what's wrong with a –"

"I don't think it's a shooting star. In fact I don't think it's a star…" interrupted Gochi. "I heard it from –" Gochi stopped, hesitating to reveal her sources. "Uh…"

"There's no time. You have to go now!" interrupted Jinn once again, growing impatient as he grabbed her arm.

"Jinn-kun, I can't just le –"

"Hold it," came an awfully familiar voice.

"Vi – Videl-san?" asked Gochi. Was this the thing they detected?

"Let go of the girl!" demanded Videl to Jinn.

Jinn glared. _Now… why now?_ Thought Jinn. He could still feel that presence somewhere in the back of his mind.

Growling he let go of Gochi, staring intently at Videl.

"Wha – what are you doing here Videl-san?" asked Gochi, growing nervous.

"Did you know that you've been keeping the whereabouts of these alien criminals from the authorities?" asked Videl. "That's a serious crime Gochi. Although I know that you're not the smartest person in the world…"

Gochi sweat dropped, not sure if she should be slighted by the comment about her intelligence, or nervous with the fact that Videl had somehow managed to find out who the two Saiya-jins were.

"Ano… Videl-san… I," stuttered Gochi.

"It's okay Gochi, I'll detain them and you'll be free from their manipulation," said Videl calmly, looking towards a distracted Jinn and oblivious, yet nervous-looking, Tarrec.

"Too late…" muttered Jinn, looking towards the sky.

"On the contrary, it's never too late –" began Videl.

"Urusei," spat Jinn. He then turned his head sharply towards the skies, his eyes just making shape of something huge camouflaged against the sky.

Tarrec too looked towards the direction, knowing Jinn only was this intense when something terrible was happening.

"Jinn-kun," came Tarrec's earnest voice.

"Un…" replied Jinn, looking towards the ever-increasing form above. "They're here…"

* * *

Gohan frowned, the phone picking up the answering machine. It seemed Gochi was out. He wondered where she was. Contemplating, he then decided to call the front desk.

"Moshi moshi," came the voice of the woman Gohan had talked to several months prior.

"Ah, good afternoon Miss," came Gohan's reply, smiling into the receiver as more of an act of politeness.

"Who's this?" asked the woman.

"Son Gohan, Son Gochi's older brother."

"Ah, yes, Gohan! Hello dear! How are you?" asked the woman.

"Ano… very good thanks, and you?"

"I'm well. I'm expecting a visit from Bulma-san soon," she replied.

Gohan forced a laugh. Then: "Do you know where my sister would be? I need to give her an important message."

"Ah yes, your sister is out in "The Plains", wherever that is," replied the landlady. "Although, I can give her the message."

"Oh no, it's okay. It's not that important," came Gohan's reply. If she was out in the Plains, Videl was sure not to find them… right? "Have you gotten any other visitors for Gochi-chan lately?" asked Gohan, still unsure.

"Yes, Videl Satan-san came in here prior," explained the landlady.

"Ah… okay…" Gohan grew slightly nervous.

"Yes, she was in quite a rush…"

Gohan forced another laugh.

"Wonder why…" he said.

"Yes, I did too."

"Well," interrupted Gohan. "I've got to go now. Thankyou Miss."

"Oh no, it was no problem dear. Good bye."

Gohan hung up and then sighed, hoping that Videl really had no idea where to look.


	21. Chapter 16: Part 2: The Final Chapter

**The Unique Alliance**

**Disclaimer:** Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama, TOEI Animation, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA INC., FUNinmation.

**Disclaimer 2: **New characters, The Unique Alliance © Eileen Setiawan, H-san, Hina-chan (i.e. the author of the story)

**Disclaimer 3: **This story is only for recreational purposes. I do not intend to sell this to anyone/anything.

**PART 1: The Kindness of Strangers**

* * *

"**The great beyond will call on you when time is drawing near**

**It all seems just like a dream, your final days are here**

**The final chapter's written, the story has to end**

**You see your saga passing by, is this where it begins?"**

** Last Horizon – Seven Witches**

* * *

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN (Part Two) – The Final Chapter **

"Wh… what is that?" asked Videl, looking upon the disc-shaped object in the sky.

"Your cue to leave!" yelled Tarrec turning towards Videl. He half-regretted it…

"That's your ship, isn't it? You somehow called them to come down, didn't you? You're going to do something to this planet, aren't you?" yelled Videl, barraging Tarrec with questions.

Meanwhile, Jinn grabbed Gochi's arm.

"I'm warning you," he said, a hint of malice in his voice, his eyes staring angrily at Gochi.

Gochi opened her mouth to speak, but shut it again. "But…" she managed.

"Go… Go now." Jinn's voice was forced, emphasising every word. "If you move fast, you might not be caught."

Gochi stared at his eyes. Once again, they had that 'look' in it. Before Gochi could say anything to defend her right to stay, Videl interrupted once again.

"Let go of me you moron!" yelled Videl.

Gochi turned, seeing Videl slung over Tarrec's shoulder.

"If you won't leave then I'll make you leave!" yelled Tarrec, irritated at the woman yet not in his Kordal state… yet.

However, before Tarrec could safely get Videl out of there, Gochi could defend her case, and Jinn could argue back, the sound of air hissing outwards could be heard. The four turned to look towards the sound, seeing a ship in the not-too-distant background.

"Too late," came Tarrec's voice, expressing Jinn's thoughts.

From the open hatchway that led into the interior of the ship came soldiers, all having different stripes on their helmets of colours blue, orange, and green.

As all the soldiers exited, readying their arms with solemn clicks, they stood at the ready, scouring the desert in a fan-like fashion, turning their head from left to right as if looking. But the two Saiya-jins knew better. They were not looking; they were scouting for power and life forms, anything that gave detection.

Walking from behind all of them, the last to exit the ship came a solitary figure, two red stripes on the helmet. The figure started ordering the other soldiers around. They obeyed without question.

"That's the commander of the ship," muttered Tarrec to Jinn, already having put Videl down near Gochi.

Jinn nodded, suspicion plaguing his mind. The commander seemed familiar.

"What's going on?" snapped Videl at Gochi.

Gochi put her hands on Videl's shoulders. "This is bigger than the both of us," she cryptically replied.

"Don't give me that!" snapped Videl once again.

Gochi sighed. "Videl-san, this is serious. We should get out of here." _Maybe Jinn-kun was right…_

"No! I love this planet, and I'm not letting a bunch of aliens take over it!" snapped Videl.

Gochi sighed. There was no talking to this girl. The cock of a gun interrupted them. The girls both gasped, looking up and seeing a soldier with blue stripes on the helmet. The two Saiya-jins turned, also seeing the blue stripes but knowing exactly what it meant.

Blue – a soldier capable of handling him/herself with little to no power detection. Usually part of the _M.I.N.D.E_ programme. It was no wonder no one neither heard nor detected the soldier.

"Up," he said, signalling his gun to do the same.

The girls stood up.

"Gochi-san," said Tarrec, standing up to go towards them.

Jinn grabbed him, signalling Tarrec to look at Gochi's hand. She waved them off.

_Don't come,_ was her signal.

Tarrec looked confused, watching on. As the girls reached their full height, Gochi started speaking.

"I'm sure you don't want to shoot us," she said.

"Gochi," began Videl. "It's best if you let me –"

"We're only Earthlings, and this planet is not worth you're trouble and time," explained Gochi, staring into the man's visor, no expression portrayed on her face.

"Gochi!" yelled Videl, insulted that she could say that about their world.

"There're millions of other worlds out there worth more value," stated Gochi, once again ignoring Videl.

The man scoffed. "We're not here for your pathetic planet," explained the man. "We're merely here to pick up our brood."

_Brood?_ "So you don't want to take the planet?" asked Gochi.

"Of course not, this planet is not worth any monetary value, or trade value…" explained the man.

Gochi's eyes shifted to Videl, who looked shocked. She then gave a little smile.

"Good," stated Gochi. Then she shot her hand forward, grabbing the barrel of the gun and pulling the man in towards her.

The man yelled in surprise at her sudden movement, shooting the trigger. Both Saiya-jins tensed as Videl's cry of "Gochi" filled the area. As the chaos subsided, Videl was shocked to see the man on the floor, foaming at the mouth as he clutched his stomach. Gochi stared down at him, her cheek bleeding from the projectile having given her a flesh wound as she held the gun with her right hand. Rubbing her cheek with the back of her left hand, she stared at the blood and sighed.

She then turned to Videl apologetically.

"Sorry," she said in terms of the comments she made about the planet.

Videl stared in shock, but was subdued as more soldiers came along, cocking their weapons.

They were orange-striped soldiers, each with a different class of melee weapon. Gochi and Videl did not know the difference between any of them, but they knew it was trouble.

"We gotta do something," muttered Tarrec.

Jinn nodded. "Let's go…"

More out of protection than fear, Gochi grabbed Videl's hand. Videl instinctively thought it was out of fear.

"It's okay," rationalised Videl. "We'll get through this…"

Gochi nodded, squeezing her hand harder. Videl was a tough girl, she could handle… at least that's what Gochi hoped. The first wave of soldiers came forward, yelling in order to assert their authority as they raised their weapons above their heads. The weapons glinted in the sun, slicing through the air as they traversed the path towards the imminent fight about to occur. Videl ducked as Gochi jumped. Videl hit the soldiers from below, side sweeping with both legs and using the momentum to avoid their weapons. Gochi swung her leg outward in a sweeping air kick, causing the soldiers to get knocked back from her blow, their helmets broken as the electronics within them short-wired. Standing and landing respectively, Videl and Gochi stood back-to-back, in their respective fighting stances.

Videl allowed herself to look at Gochi's stance, wondering where she had learned to fight. The pose was only semi-familiar, looking similar to the new style of fighting just coming out, the Kamesennin way of fighting by a man named Krillen Chestnut.

Videl shook her head, she had to concentrate! This was life-or-death.

Jinn and Tarrec stood back-to-back also. The girl's had to handle it on their own it seemed. Surrounding them were green-striped soldiers, standing and stoically looking towards the two Saiya-jins.

"Specialists in incapacitation, ne Jinn-kun?" asked Tarrec, chuckling as he leaned his head back to look at the side of Jinn's face.

"Un," agreed Jinn.

The green force – known for their brute force and their ability to incapacitate the best of them. They were masters in knowing the best way to fell their foe. In fact, when Tarrec was assigned the battle jumpsuit, he had stripes of black, blue, and much to everyone's expectations, green.

"Well," began Tarrec, readying his footwork. "Let's go, ne?" came another voice. Kordal.

Jinn smirked. "Agreed."

* * *

Gohan sighed, pacing back and forth.

He felt anxious for some unknown reason.

He hoped nothing was seriously wrong.

He looked out the window, a pensive look on his face.

_Gochi-chan…_

* * *

Videl slammed her palm against the soldier's neck with great force, causing the soldier to fall down, unconscious. She then twisted almost immediately, back slapping a soldier from behind, her knuckles colliding with the helmet with a thud. Videl then cried out in pain, the man behind the helmet laughing at the wretchedness of this Earthling as he grabbed her wrist, twisting her arm. Videl growled, lunging with her left hand. The soldier merely grabbed that one, holding her there.

"You can't get away little girl," mocked the soldier. "I'm orange class. You're going to be in serious pain."

Videl gritted her teeth, trying to break free. She had no legroom, so kicking was almost impossible.

"Videl-san!" yelled the voice of Gochi.

Both Videl and the soldier turned to look towards the voice. Videl's eyes went wide as she saw Gochi coming towards both of them, her leg kicking out at the soldier's head. The helmet cracked under the impact, causing the soldier to go flying away from Videl, unconscious. Videl's eyes went wide as she looked at Gochi with a look of utter shock.

"Ano…" said Gochi. "Good shoes," she said hurriedly. "Are you alright?"

Videl nodded. Gochi smiled.

"Great," she commented. Videl opened her mouth to warn Gochi of the danger behind her, but Gochi had already reacted, her elbow striking out, as she remained staring at Videl.

"Woah…" commented Videl.

Gochi laughed nervously.

Jinn grabbed the head of two green-class soldiers, ramming them together with a great smash. The plexiglass of their helmets broke under the impact as well as fractures occurring alongside the helmet. He then threw back the two now out-of-commission soldiers and threw them towards more soldiers charging towards him. They stopped in their tracks, some being rammed back from the two dead weights of the soldiers, others just regaining their composure as they looked up towards Jinn. However, they were met with a toothy smirk.

"Hello men," came Kordal's voice.

The green force knew of the reputation of "Jekyll and Hyde" as they called him, the man with two faces: Tarrec and his alter ego Kordal. Kordal was a vicous one-man force.

"Let's dance."

Lunging, Kordal grabbed the two closest soldiers, using his force to slam them down on the floor. A resounding crack signalled the breaking of the soldiers' spines, their legs still standing as their torsos now lay on the ground, their heads crushed in. Using his momentum, Kordal flipped backwards, landing and lunging forward once again as he grabbed a soldier with his upper arm, wrapping his arm around the man's head and, grabbing the man's head, twisted it 360 as he ripped it off, blood spraying forth from the gaping decapitation. He then threw the head down, turning towards the other green force, a wicked smirk on his face through the blood of their comrades.

They all gritted their teeth, their guns at the ready as the leader of the pack yelling: "Fire at will!"

A barrage of projectiles made their way towards Kordal, whose smirk only grew wider as he ran forward, dodging the lasers, some scraping his skins and leaving bloody prints in their wake. As he reached the force, he powered his way through them, beating them down one by one, their blood spraying this way and that way. As he neared the final soldier, the man saw the smirking face of Kordal and then…

"Nice work," commented Jinn, staring down at the mutilated soldier, his helmet dissolved into his face from Kordal's attack.

Kordal smirked.

"Why, thankyou Jinn-chan," he thanked, bowing low as blood dripped down his face. He then stood erect, turning towards the space ship where some blue-striped soldiers and the commander stood, staring at the scene growing bloody towards them.

"I wouldn't be so relaxed if I were you, Kordal," said the commander's voice.

_So familiar…_ thought Jinn.

"Why is that?" asked Kordal, licking up the blood around his mouth.

The commander pointed to the back, where orange- and the remaining blue-striped soldiers surrounded the girls.

"Because despite the expertise you two hold, them two aren't so skilled," the commander replied.

Whilst Jinn showed signs of disgust, Kordal looked merely unimpressed. Jinn turned to go towards the girls, but was stopped by an un-phased Kordal.

"Just watch them," Kordal stated, crossing his arms and looking towards the girls. Jinn hesitated, but listened. When Kordal believed in something, it usually turned out right.

Videl and Gochi stood back-to-back, tense as the soldiers surrounded them. Videl had a million and one thoughts rushing through her head. If she were to die here and now, she wondered what people would think. She wondered if they would hide the _real_ truth of her death… She bit her lip, thinking of how horrible that would be. She then eyed Gochi. Her face was serious, expressionless, and almost cold. This was a side of Gochi Videl had never seen before. It seemed the soldiers had seen the moment of Videl's distraction, as they attacked only a few seconds after Videl's thoughts had ended. It was the orange-striped soldiers, weapons raised and ready to deal with the two "obstacles".

Videl barely avoided a scythe-like weapon to her abdomen, twisting her body around. As she saw her opening, she hit the man square in the back, incapacitating him. She gasped as another came to her, a more heavier-looking weapon in hand. This soldier was big, and despite the fact that Videl was very skilled, she had trouble trying to avoid the swings of the double-equipped weapon. As the soldier swung down, Videl jumped back, planting her foot behind her and allowing herself to propel forward once again. She managed to head butt the soldier in the shoulder, causing him to lose balance. As he fell backwards, Videl dropkicked the man in the head, managing to crack the plexiglass helmet. Huffing, Videl stood, kicking the soldier's weapon away. She then twisted around; eyes going wide as more soldiers came towards her. Gritting her teeth, Videl kicked up the previous soldier's weapon and grabbed it. She realised her mistake as she noticed how incredibly heavy it was. Nonetheless, Videl knew she could handle herself just as long as she did not move around too much. As she knocked the soldiers surrounding her away, she turned her head to see how Gochi was doing…

Gochi strafed to the right, dodging the advances of the spearman. Grabbing the weapon, she managed to break it in half, throwing away the speared end. Despite this, the soldier continued his barrage of attack, using the splintered end as a weapon. Once again, Gochi grabbed the weapon, this time pulling him in and lifting the man above her head still holding the weapon, threw him towards the advancing soldiers. She now held the splintered handle, using it as a sort of bo. She had heard stories of her father and the **Naoi-bo**, a weapon given to him by Master Roshi. Her father was an expert at it, and during Piccolo's training with her twin brother, she was also given a bo, despite Gohan having been given a sword. Needless to say, she was good at it. As the soldiers advanced, Gochi had to try to remember how to use the weapon.

Luckily, it seemed to come back to her naturally. Grabbing the bo with both hands planted in the middle, hip-length apart, Gochi positioned the bo along her left elbow, hitting the first soldier to advance in the neck. She then twisted, her left hand letting go as she hit a soldier advancing from the rear. Twisting the bo in her right hand, she positioned it so it lined up with her inner arm, and using it as an extension of her body, it collided with several soldiers coming towards her. Unfortunately, she did not guarantee the reinforcement of the bo as a soldier with a blade sliced the bo practically in half. Despite this, she continued to fight the man, who then further cut the bo down into a quarter of its original length. Again, Gochi remained fighting until the bo was cut down to a further half of the quarter length. Gochi gritted her teeth, staring at the now dagger-sized weapon. At least she could use it for something. Ducking the blade of the soldier, Gochi twisted the weapon in her hand and stabbed the man in the gut. With a choked cry, the soldier went down, allowing Gochi to grab his bladed weapon. She looked at the weapon, strangely shaped and even more strangely-held. Now this, she was not use to.

Both girls had no idea how long they had been fighting, but when the blue-striped soldiers started advancing, they both knew that it had probably been awhile. Both girls could feel the toll of the fighting on their body, both panting by the time they were facing the blue-stripes. Despite their weariness, they both knew that they had to somehow keep going. With a resolve, both girls continued fighting. Videl had no troubles with the blue-stripes, as she relied on her five senses when fighting. However, Gochi, who was used to using only her sixth sense, had trouble detecting the unforseen soldiers.

This led to Videl having to come to Gochi's aid many times.

"Are you okay?" asked Videl, helping Gochi up.

Gochi nodded, pressing her palm to her forehead. She could feel the impact of the butt of the gun to her head. Luckily her head was harder than her father's.

"Next time, be careful. You gotta watch for them," offered Videl.

"Videl!" yelled Gochi. Gochi was then silenced as Videl spun on her heels and kicked the soldier in the neck.

Videl smiled. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve as well," she said.

Gochi also smiled, but grew earnest once again as she saw the soldiers were now getting in around them. This seemed different from before. They were not orange, and thus, they could use long-range weapons. Guns. Gochi had a feeling these were the guns that had been used against Jinn before he arrived on Earth. The searing heat of the beam from before had clarified that for Gochi. As if reading Gochi's thought, they cocked their weapons, a whirring and humming sound coming forth from their weapons, as if a microwave heating. Gochi knew that if they were to shoot, they would not stand a chance… unless…

During Gochi's training up on her roof, she had been trying to master a technique of hers. Both her and her brother usually talked about it when they trained. Ki as a barrier. They had seen their father use it during his Kaioken mode, and they wondered if they could possibly use that normally. She knew it was not the best time to "test" out a technique, but right now, she had no choice. Grabbing Videl and holding her close in a tight hug, Gochi hoped this would work.

"It's okay to be scared," she heard Videl whisper just before the sound of the triggers firing off simultaneously.

* * *

Gohan, who had been studying, opened his eyes in semi-horror as he felt Gochi's ki signature flare. Standing, Gohan knocked his chair over and looked to the window. Feeling it die down again.

_Gochi…?_ He thought. Without even knowing what was going on, Gohan grabbed his gi. His sister was in trouble.

* * *

Videl's eyes were shut during the whole time. As she opened them she felt herself surrounded by a bright light. Was she dead? As it all came back to her, she realised the bright light was emanating from Gochi. She looked to Gochi, who was in the process of just letting her go. Videl stared wide-eyed at her. There was a clear white aura around her. Slowly, the aura died down. It was then that Videl noticed her surroundings. Bodies upon bodies of blue-striped soldiers lay in the dirt. All of who were in the frontline. She looked up, seeing the remaining soldiers retreating back to the commander. They looked as if a tornado had been through the vicinity.

"Gochi?" asked Videl as she turned to her. She then gasped as Gochi lurched forward. Videl grabbed her, supporting her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just…" she sounded breathless. "Catching my breath…"

Meanwhile the two Saiya-jins stood, watching the aftermath. Kordal smirked at Jinn.

"That's my girl," he said.

Jinn looked at the two girls, seeing them smiling at each other, though Gochi looked tired. She had used most of her energy doing that technique.

"No matter," came the voice of the commander once again. The two Saiya-jins turned to her voice. "I got a better idea.

The commander made a series of actions to the remaining blue- and green-striped soldiers. Immediately, they obeyed, forming a perimeter around the four warriors. The soldiers then pushed some displays in their gun magazine and cocked them, as if in forewarning to what may happen if they were to try to escape.

Kordal laughed. "We can't be _that_ threatening can we? So much so as to put the artillery on their highest calibre?"

The commander only smirked. Without even saying a word or making an action, black-striped soldiers marched out of the ship. Kordal's expression went from cocky to angry. Black – a class only limited to Saiya-jins under the Controllee Syndicate. All of these soldiers had tails.

"No way," breathed Gochi. Both Saiya-jins turned around, seeing the astonishment on her face. She had come in behind them with Videl. They were now all together.

"That bastard," swore Kordal. "Exploiting them… it sickens me…"

"Now's not the time to get patriotic. We have to get through them to get to the commander," stated Jinn, his voice still as cold and unassuming as usual.

"Heh, agreed," said Kordal, his demeanour changing almost immediately.

Videl stood behind all three, slightly confused. She had no idea what they were talking about, but she did agree with the man with the gold eyes. They needed to get to the leader in order to get down to the bottom of this situation.

"You ready?" asked Gochi, smiling at Videl through a semi-weary expression.

Videl nodded.

"Great, I'll stand by you," offered Gochi.

"Okay," replied Videl, her whole body tensing. The feeling rushing through her body, the adrenaline pumping in her blood, all of it was intense. And it seemed it would only get more intense as the Saiya-jin horde, advanced towards the small group.

* * *

Gohan exited the house through his bedroom window, looking around and making sure no one was there. His mother would more likely than not, stop him, and he did not want to explain himself to Goten, who would probably want to assist. Seeing no one around, Gohan flew up and with a burst of energy, flew forward.

Unfortunately, he did not feel the presence of his little brother at the window, watching as he flew away.

* * *

"Shit!" exclaimed Jinn as he barely dodged a hard kick from a fellow Saiya-jin warrior. Blood trailed down the corner of his mouth and the brow ridge of his left eye. He could feel his muscles aching from every blow he had received.

Kordal was in no better condition as he re-lodged his dislocated right shoulder back into its socket. Despite the pain, he was smirking. He flexed his hand, staring at the Saiya-jin who remained stoic. As Kordal propelled forward, attacking with the arm that had been previously dislocated, the Saiya-jin did likewise, no expression betrayed on her face.

At the same time, Gochi was helping a struggling Videl. Videl felt her energy draining at a rate faster than what she usually experienced. She had to use all of her energy to fight these… tractors. They were strong, too strong. Videl could not keep up. She had managed some blows, but they had gone un-phased. Gochi, meanwhile, was holding a fort, trying hard to protect Videl and fight at the same time. Her lip was swollen from a blow to her face and the gash on her cheek from the previous run-in with the blue-striped soldiers was starting to bleed almost profusely. Everywhere else she could feel places that would certainly be black and blue in the morning.

"Videl, are you okay?" asked Gochi, breathless.

Videl was slumped over, trying to support herself on her legs. Gochi noticed how weary she looked.

"Don't worry," continued Gochi. "I'll help you."

Videl looked at Gochi and nodded, standing up as Gochi grabbed her shoulder. Gochi smiled.

"We'll get through this," she said, repeating the exact words Videl had told her before.

Videl smiled in return, nodding. Back-to-back once again, Gochi, grabbed hold of Videl's hand.

"As before," she said, watching as the Saiya-jins advanced forward.

Videl grew determined, gripping onto Gochi's hand. As the soldiers grew closer, both girls let go of each other's hands and turned to face one another. Grabbing each other's arms, Gochi swung Videl in an arch, Videl kicking down the soldiers advancing towards them. As Videl landed, Gochi released one of Videl arms, and swinging Videl once again, allowed Videl to once again kick more incoming soldiers. By the end of their "routine", they had managed to ward off most of the Saiya-jins using their combined strength. They smiled at one another and looked towards the other two, seeing that they seemed to be regaining their advantage.

Like the two girls before them, Jinn and Kordal were working together. Whilst Jinn handled the smaller Saiya-jins, Kordal handled the bigger ones. They interchanged, confusing the soldiers so much so that they had managed to gain an advantage. Now, Kordal and Jinn were facing one Saiya-jin who had been a particular pain. Jinn dealt blows to the upper body, flipped back, and allowed Kordal to come in for the final blow, which came in a gruesome crack to the costal area. Breaking the ribs, pieces of the shattered bone embedded itself into the Saiya-jin's heart. Death was instant. Both Saiya-jins turned towards the commander, who looked slightly annoyed.

"Now what? Huh?" questioned Kordal, smirking. "We get to fight you, don't we?" he added, his smirk growing wider.

"I am sorry it had to come to this," said the commander. The commander placed both hands on her helmet, pressing two buttons. With a hiss, the automated helmet opened up, revealing a face with delicate, woman features. As the commander took off the remainder of the helmet, long ringlets of russet hair tumbled down. Kordal and Jinn's eyes widened.

"Gab…" breathed Jinn.

Kordal was now Tarrec, staring at confusion at the woman before him.

"No… Gab… what are you…?" questioned Tarrec.

Gab did not say anything, but merely looked towards the inner depths of the ship. From the depths, shining in the dim light streaking through, were two red pinpoints. As the figure grew closer, Tarrec's body reacted violently as he fell on his knees, as if winded. Jinn looked to his best friend.

"Dyne…?" questioned Tarrec, his voice barely above a whisper.

Dyne, the Saiya-jin who had just marched from the ship, stared at the two, stoic and emotionless. Gab turned to the Saiya-jin.

"Get Jinn," she simply said.

Dyne nodded, bending at the knees and lurching forward. Despite his big size, he was as agile as any other. As if in a matter of microseconds, Jinn and Dyne were nose-to-nose, Jinn staring into the red-ringed pupils of Dyne. Dyne meanwhile raised his hand, placing it against Jinn's abdomen. As if a semitrailer had just collided in that specific region, Jinn was sent tumbling backwards into a precipice, the rock collapsing on either side of him. All of this had happened in a matter of seconds.

"Jinn-kun!" yelled Gochi.

Gab stared at the girl. She was becoming a nuisance. Meanwhile, Tarrec stood up, eyes shielded in darkness. Betrayed by members of his own team. Why would they do this?

"Temae…" he said, staring at Gab. His voice was laced with Kordal's undertone. He was not just Tarrec, he was also Kordal. Gab looked at him in return, nonchalant.

"I did this for a reason," she said simply.

"Reason this!" cried out Kordal's voice as Tarrec's body shot forward. Gab did not react, but merely turned away as a resounding blast surrounded the area.

"Tarrec-san!" yelled Gochi.

Meanwhile, Jinn, inside the rock, opened his eyes in horror. Prying himself up, he willed his badly beaten body to move. As he entered the battlefield once more he found himself staring at a fallen Tarrec, blood pooling from a wound in his shoulder. Jinn gritted his teeth in anger, staring up at Gab.

"He attacked first."

"Why are you doing this!" yelled Jinn, his ki flaring.

Gab did not reply, but merely looked to Dyne. Dyne once again attacked Jinn. Jinn, ready for him, blocked the attack. The two of them dealt blow-by-blow. Gab looked to Jinn, seeing him distracted in his entirety by Dyne. Meanwhile, soldiers from around the perimeter grabbed the semi-conscious body of Tarrec and dragged him to the ship. Her eyes then trailed to Gochi, who was now looking towards the soldiers.

"Leave him alone!" cried Gochi, just about to go towards the soldiers and Tarrec. Her advance was stopped as Gab, who was just as quick as Dyne, appeared before her.

Unfortunately, Gab had no qualms of letting Gochi die.

"GOCHI!" yelled Videl.

Gochi felt a searing hot pain in her stomach that grew to the localised area. Blood showered out of her mouth as her lungs filled with blood. Gab pulled away, revealing a similar, but smaller gun that the soldiers had. Videl stared in shock, droplets of Gochi's blood splattered across her face from the blow. Gochi fell on her knees, then to the floor.

Jinn in the air had stopped fighting, staring in horror as the body of Gochi fell to the floor. He then felt a shockwave down his spine as Dyne dealt an incapacitating blow to his neck. Jinn fell to the ground, eyes closed from the pain and unable to move. As he opened his eyes, he saw Gab staring down at him.

"Gab, you…"

Gab merely turned away.

"Take him and the girl in," she said to some soldiers. They nodded, grabbing Jinn's arms and hoisting him up. Other soldiers headed towards Gochi. As Gab was about to enter the ship, she stopped upon hearing a call.

"Commander," cried a soldier from the back.

Gab turned, seeing the soldier holding a gun to a shocked-looking Videl. Meanwhile, Gochi was being carried towards the ship.

"What do we do with her?" he asked.

"No witnesses, remember?" she asked.

The soldier nodded, finger ready to squeeze the trigger. However, he was immediately killed on the spot by a blast from above. Everyone looked to the skies, seeing a figure standing there, his expression of pure rage.

* * *

From Tarrec being shot up until now, Gohan had watched the fight. Upon Gochi being shot in cold blood by the russet-haired soldier, something had snapped within him. Gohan was no longer fighting for the protection of earth. He was fighting in rage.

His sister… most probably dead.

They would _not_ get away with it.

After having killed the soldier, Gohan landed in front of Videl where the soldier was previously. Now all that was left was a bloody patch.

"Give me back my sister," he said, his voice deadly and quiet.

Gab's eyes went wide in semi-surprise, turning towards the girl.

"Give her back!" he yelled, shooting towards Gab.

Gab reacted to his punch, blocking his assault. However, Gohan retaliated by grabbing her arm and pulling it towards himself, so that he held her right shoulder in his left hand, all the while twisting her right wrist in a 180-degree fashion. Gab cried out in pain as she could feel her wrist being slowly bent backwards.

"GIVE HER BACK, NOW!" yelled Gohan.

Gab gritted her teeth, attacking with her other hand. She refused to let a child command her. However, Gohan was beyond fighting in hand-to-hand combat. He merely grabbed the other hand with the hand on her shoulder, crushing the fist.

Gab gritted her teeth in pain. Soldiers came forward, cocking their guns.

"If you don't give her back, I will kill you!" he said, his intonations deadly.

"Cease fire!" yelled Gab, causing the soldiers to drop their guns despite their confusion.

Tarrec, who had managed to wake up despite the pain, saw this. Despite knowing Gab was a traitor, the friendship that they had still seemed to come first.

"Gohan! No, let her go!" yelled Tarrec, grabbing his shoulder and yelling despite the pain.

"Give her back!" yelled Gohan, ignoring the older Saiya-jin.

"By doing this, you're becoming exactly like her!" yelled Tarrec. "Let her go!"

"Give her back!" yelled Gohan once again.

"Gohan, no! Don't do this!"

"If you don't give her back…" Gohan let it trail as his hand started to heat up in the grip he had on her.

Gab gritted her teeth in pain, feeling the skin burn.

"Gohan! Stop it!" yelled Tarrec.

"GIVE HER BACK!" yelled Gohan, his ki signature flaring.

At that point, he felt Gochi's presence, her voice ringing loud and clear in his head: "Niichan, no!"

Gohan's eyes went wide in surprise, immediately changing to an expression of shocked pain as Gab somehow managed to hit him back. As he lay winded in the desert sand, he found himself wondering how she had hit him without even making physical contact.

"Everyone, in the ship!" yelled Gab.

The soldiers obeyed, dragging in Jinn, Tarrec and Gochi. As Gab entered the ship, she looked back towards Gohan, who was now looking towards the ship, a pained expression on his face. Gab only knew that pain all too well… it was the last thing she saw of him as the spaceship doors closed.

* * *

On the ship, Gab held her damaged wrist in her hand, feeling how the bones had been shifted out of place. She grit her teeth in pain.

"Are you in need of assistance, commander?" asked a soldier.

"Tell the medic to come to my quarters," she said, trying not to betray pain in her voice.

The soldier stood there, as if hesitating to re-word the question, but merely bowed down and did as he was told. Behind the soldier stood Dyne, who looked at the scene with no expression. Gab looked to him. He merely walked away.

* * *

Tarrec was on his knees, feeling defeated. Betrayed… by his own team… he felt the world was collapsing around him. Meanwhile, Jinn was just beginning to feel his senses coming back. Unfortunately, even when he did get feeling back, he was bound by specially engineered manacles, made especially for Saiya-jins. There was no escape.

A hissing sound told them of Gab's entry into the room. They both looked up at her, both defiant despite their position.

"Where is she?" asked Jinn.

Gab's expression reflected mild surprise. His first concern was for that human?

"She's in the infirmary."

"What are you planning on doing to her? She's of no concern to you!"

"She's of much concern. A human able to incapacitate _and_ kill these soldiers? She's different Jinn."

Jinn glared at her from his position, then looked away. Meanwhile, Tarrec glared menacingly at Gab.

"If she dies, I will kill you," came Tarrec's voice, laced with menace.

"That's rich, coming from you," replied Gab, staring down at Tarrec.

"I'm serious Gab!" yelled Tarrec.

Gab turned away. "Take them away," she said. She could hear the soldiers dragging the two soldiers away, all the while hearing Tarrec's voice.

"DO YOU HEAR ME, GAB!?" his voice was laced with Kordal's undertone. "IF SHE DIES, I'LL KILL YOU!"

As the doors shut, leaving Gab alone in the room, she allowed emotion to cross her face. Holding her wrist to her chest, she fell to her knees, trying hard not to let herself be engulfed with the past.

* * *

**A/N:** AND WE'RE DONE!! Whoohoo! Part 1 is now _officially_ complete.

As a sidenote, I've been wanting to make a website for this story (and probably others), but I need clarification to how many people have actually read this from the beginning to now. Please either comment on this story _or_ alternatively, you can email me. I'll then decide if it's worth it's own website or not.


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